HISTORY MATTERS

The Newsletter Publication of NWA History Centre, Inc.
8101 – 34 th Ave., So. – Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 997-8000 – Ext. 8-6102       www.NWAHistory.org
H.V. “Pete” Patzke, Editor

Vol. 5 - No. 4                                                                                      December, 2007

Happy Holidays !!!

** Fact or Fiction **

Spending time at the History Centre you hear stories. Many are true tales but sometimes those stories are the fruits of someone’s imagination. A case in point. When the Mendota Bridge was built during the 1930s it was lighted with a series of lampposts atop the railings. Allegedly, several pilots ferrying airplanes during the early days of World War II mistook the bridge for the runways at Wold-Chamberlain and attempted to land on the bridge. Fortunately none did but it was apparently such a problem the way the bridge and the runways lined up, that the lights were turned off and the cast iron fixtures removed and melted down.

            Does anyone know if this story is fact or fiction??

**Saga of the D.B. Cooper Lock** ?

The Event: A man identified as D. B. Cooper hijacked a NWA 727 aircraft in 1972. While on the ground in Seattle he released all the passengers and Flight Attendants, but retained control of the aircraft and cockpit crew. He demanded and got $200,000 and parachutes. He bailed out in flight en-route to Portland, Oregon. He was never found. Some of the money, $5800, washed up on the shore of the Columbia River. The saga motivated much literature and other public communications.

Industry Reaction: The airline reaction to the event was to install an airflow operated lock that made in impossible to lower the aft “airstair” door in flight. This door, you may recall, was located in the belly of the aircraft aft of the tea pressure bulkhead. Stairs were integral with the door. This door and stairs were used for ground level boarding of passengers. The door, which was hinged at the forward edge, was normally lowered hydraulically, but could also be released operating a lever located at the aft cabin pressure door, allowing the door to free-fall because of its weight. In flight, despite air pressure, the door opened far enough to allow Cooper to get out. The concern was to prevent “copy-cat” repetition of the occurrence. The installation was made FAA mandatory.

NWA Action: Eastern Airlines (EAL) devised a clever lock that prevented in-flight opening of the door. The clever lock design was a strong (steel) pivot mounted plate with an integral vane. This lock was spring loaded to the “open” position. In-flight, air stream pressure on the vane over-comes the spring and the lock then pivots to over-lap the edge of the door, thus mechanically preventing the opening. The simplicity and effectiveness of the design was immediately apparent. NWA purchased 56 ship sets of parts