Captain Tammie Jo Shults Performed a Safe Emergency Landing At Philadelphia International Airport

The damage to the Boeing 737 caused rapid, violent depressurization.

Passengers described a chaotic scene but Captain Shults’ “nerves of steel” allowed her to calmly land the aircraft.  At the controls, Captain Shults relied on her fighter pilot training — and her history of defying the odds. Captain Shults is heard calmly telling air traffic controllers in audio transmissions after reporting the aircraft’s engine failure, “We have part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit.”

Ultimately, 148 of the 149 individuals that were on board, both passengers and five crew members, survived. Sadly, Jennifer Riordan, a passenger and mother of two from New Mexico, did not survive. After being admitted to a local hospital for treatment, she succumbed to her injuries.