Capt. Tammie Jo Shultz, a Southwest Airlines pilot has been described as a heroine after she landed safely a faulty plane with engine problem.
Southwest Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas suffered an engine failure Monday and made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.
She (Shultz ) has been compared to Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger who landed a US Airways jet on the Hudson River in 2009 after geese knocked out his engines.
The Southwest pilot, Shultz, was a former Navy pilot who has flown with Southwest since 1994, but Sullenberger said First Officer Darren Ellisor and other crew members worked as a team to land the plane safely.
“So were the three flight attendants who ensured the safety of passengers after the plane depressurized and sought treatment for a fatally injured passenger,” he said.
“Everything you do you double-check and back each other up,” Sullenberger said.
“It’s finely choreographed — it’s a thing of beauty when it’s done well.”
The pilots issued a joint statement saying the crew of five “feel we were simply doing our jobs.”
“On behalf of the entire crew, we appreciate the outpouring of support from the public and our coworkers as we all reflect on one family’s profound loss,” the pilots said.
One passenger, Jennifer Riordan, died after being pulled partially through a window.
