Flight 2497 suffered a catastrophic enginge failure at 11:32 on March 18th and dropped a mile and a half in just under two minutes. The calm, prerecorded voice that requested the passengers to fasten their seatbelts and the soothing orange of the mask failed to reassure the twenty people on board, and for two minutes all was pandemonium. Men and women wept and wailed, sobbed prayers or apologies brokenly from the aisle, clung to each other, beat their breasts and tore their hair.
What occurred in the cockpit — what herculean efforts, if any, the pilots exerted — what excesses of emotion were endured, what reserves of spirit were drawn upon — no one knows. The door had been sealed behind the starched backs of the two men at take-off, and was locked by computer, until the plane should land safely. When it was unlatched, the pilots emerged all cool efficiency, although, perhaps, just slightly more rumpled than normal. Both men have refused to comment on any event surrounding that near-fatal dive…