Hurricanes and Security…
The first hurricane of the 1972 season came to life June 14, and met its demise July 6 in the North Atlantic near Great Britain. Agnes, a category one hurricane, confounded weather forecasters who were never able to establish Agnes’s intended route. 1972 was a time when tracking storms had more to do with luck than science. Born in the atmospheric unrest over the Yucatan Peninsula, Agnes moved across the Gulf of Mexico, passing west of Cuba and was forecast to hit Panama City–but the storm missed! 25,000 tourists had evacuated Panama City, the tourist season was ruined, and city officials sued the National Weather Service for 100 million dollars. Pounding Georgia and South Carolina, Agnes, gaining strength, hurled into the Atlantic, heading north on a rampage inundating areas from Charlotte to New York with heavy rains and wind, while moving up the East Coast in record time. On June 22, 1972, a recently turned 34-year-old Allegheny Airlines Captain, flying a Convair-580 powered by a pair of Allison turbo prop engines with huge four-bladed props, would on this night learn just how awesome the Allison engines with the big props were. Passengers deplaned in Islip, Long Island that evening and new ones took their place. Allegheny 482’s crew prepared for departure to Washington National Airport with 58 passengers and a crew of three. Islip had clear skies, Washington reported broken clouds with rain. Hurricane Agnes was thought to be north of Charlotte. Anticipating possible delays, additional fuel was added in Islip. As the Allison engines powered up, Allegheny 482’s crew was anticipating a smooth ride south over the Atlantic Ocean at 24,000 feet. Abeam Atlantic City the skies below became overcast, Washington reported overcast skies with moderate rain. Alternate airports Baltimore and LaGuardia reported broken to overcast skies and rain showers. Air Traffic Control vectored Allegheny as they descended into Washington National. Pilots ahead on the approach reported severe turbulence at lower altitudes; as 482 dropped into the overcast, the smooth ride turned violent. Rain sounding like rocks hit the aircraft; airspeed and altitude became impossible to read and the airplane shook violently, dislodging things from the overhead storage that threatened the safety of passengers strapped in their seats. ATC requested Allegheny’s alternate. “Baltimore,” the Captain answered. Washington National was officially closed; Allegheny was given a heading and a clearance to climb as they contacted Baltimore Approach. Airplanes are intrinsically robust vehicles that can withstand tremendous amounts of punishment, including thunderstorm and hurricane penetrations, without damage, but no airplane is built to land in a hurricane! In a blink Allegheny 482 lost over a thousand feet of altitude and seemed on the verge of being out of control. The Captain slammed the throttles and the controls forward to regain airspeed before starting to climb. The mighty Allison engines roared into action as if ready to do battle with whatever held the plane in its grip. Climbing above 7,000 feet, black skies appeared full of airplanes with lights blinking, lining up like sheep for the approach into Baltimore. Descending for the approach, the environment once again declared war on Flight instruments became impossible to read, as the aircraft refused to shake itself apart. The Co-pilot did his best calling out the airspeed and altitude. The surrounding noise was so loud that hearing words was difficult and nerve racking. Wind exceeding 40 mph, ceiling 200 feet, half a mile visibility,and severe turbulence with heavy rain made up the, approach. Allegheny 482 was number 3 when Baltimore did the unthinkable: they closed the airport! “Allegheny, what’s your alternate?” ATC asked. “LaGuardia.” the Captain replied. “Turn right to 040, climb to 10,000 and contact New York Center.” It was a relief once again to be on top of the overcast, but fuel was becoming a concern. There was enough to get to LaGuardia, shoot one approach and stay in the air for another 45 minutes. Philadelphia, Newark and JFK airports had closed. Allegheny pushed on to LaGuardia. While on vectors the hurricane once again overtook Allegheny. “What’s your alternate?” asked LaGuardia approach. “LaGuardia,” the Captain replied stoically. There was dead silence. Then a New York voice that was quick and brisk came over the radio, “Allegheny, what are your intentions?” “To land at LaGuardia,” the Captain replied emphatically. “Weather for Allegheny, 500 feet and a mile, wind 160 degrees at 50 mph with gusts, severe turbulence all quadrants; no further weather will be reported unless requested,” the Controller shot back. The Captain, appreciating the straight-to-the-point New York controller providing the minimum legal weather required for a circling approach (whether it actually existed or not) continued: “Request an ILS approach to Runway 4, circle to land Runway 13.” “Cleared as requested,” came a crisp retort. LaGuardia closed because of weather as 482 commenced its approach. Rikers Island, a huge prison off the approach end of Runways 22 and 13, is brightly lit up at night. The Allegheny Captain had a plan (sort of)–he would descend to 500 feet over Runway 4 and, as he passed the end of the runway, he would turn left, circle Ryker’s Island, closely following its shoreline until he was lined up for Runway 13.
Rugged and reliable this aging relic, powered by two Allison engines capable of producing 7,640 horse power, went to war against an environmental nightmare one night–and won!
The ILS approach to Runway 4 from the beginning became a debacle; 55 plus mph tailwinds pushed Allegheny over the runway at 180 knots. Even with 24 degrees of flaps, gear down, power idle and forward pressure on the control column, Allegheny continued descent but remained way above the glide path on what was becoming an increasingly dangerous approach. 482 finally busted out of the overcast at 400 feet. With Rikers Island far behind, the Captain made a 45 degree banking turn to the left, shoving the power forward and pulling the nose up to maintain altitude and stop the descent. The wind drove 482 out near Bruckner Blvd. to the west of Rikers Island. Trying to maintain a semblance of control, the Captain called upon the mighty Allison engines once again, and they responded. Attempting to maintain400 feet became impossible; Agnes was gaining strength. But the Allison engines managed to drag the airplane to the South side of Rikers Island, clearing the Rikers Island Bridge by about 75 feet, heading 30 degrees to Runway 13 in an effort to compensate for wind. Approaching the end of the runway, Allegheny was cleared to land by a tower having no idea as to 482’s location. With the airplane 50 feet above the runway, descending at 1,000 feet or more per minute, and the Captain resigned to a crash landing, what happened next was truly a miracle! The nemesis of Allegheny 482 was Agnes; she had deposited an enormous amount of water on the runway, cushioning the landing. Realizing he had not crashed but was hydroplaning, the Captain pulled the Allison engines into reverse and in unison the big engines provided full reverse thrust. The Captain continually tapped the brakes with his toes until he felt the tires contact the runway. After the engines came out of reverse and the water swirling around the cockpit settled down, the aircraft stopped in the center of the runway cocked into the wind 400 feet from the end. Over the radio a shocked but gleeful voice, breaking with emotion, said: “Nice job, Allegheny and welcome to New York!” The moment of jubilation passed quickly; returning to his New York persona and Long Island modus operandi, the Controller continued, ”turn right on taxiway Juliet, contact ground.” The next day the Captain would learn he landed with less than 25 minutes of fuel remaining. So what does this have to do with Security? Nothing! It has to do with hurricanes. Bay Point has not been under siege from a hurricane in years. However, we must not get complacent; this could be the year! Like the people who boarded Allegheny 482, those who decide to stay on a barrier island once the flight is airborne–or in the case of Bay Point, the exit bridges close–changing your mind is no longer an option. You are trapped on the island for the duration; and, like the passengers on 482, your wellbeing becomes a simple matter of luck. So here is some friendly advice. . . If you are staying, stock up on drinking water, make sure you have something to munch on for two or three days, have several working flashlights, and at least one cell phone available. Contact Security and let us know where you are. We will do our best to check in on you. Or if you leave, notify security, we will try to keep your home and your stuff safe. Security stays here because it is our job. We can’t promise your stuff won’t get wet, but we will notify you of any serious problems. We are here to help and help we will if you give us the information we need including a contact number. Finally, anyone who thinks category one hurricanes pose little danger, think again. 119 U.S. citizens, 7 Cubans and 2 Canadians lost their lives to Agnes. So before you make a final decision you might want to reread this story and re-think your decision!■