By Mark Neuman

There is a certain endearing modesty about Al Haynes, who worked for United Airlines for 35 years, and has lived in the same house near Sea-Tac airport since 1963.

One would never know from the sound or words of this neighborly and unselfish man, that he is one of the heroes, along with his crew, in a horrific plane crash that occurred 20 years ago this Sunday, on July 20, 1989:

We recently spoke with Captain Haynes as he was returning home from a luncheon and heading out to volunteer as a public address announcer at a Little League baseball tournament, something, including umpiring, he has loved doing for years.

On July 19, 1989, United Airlines flight 232, with almost 300 people on board, took off from Denver, heading to Chicago. Captain Haynes, with over 30,000 hours of flight experience, was at the controls.

Things were quite normal. The weather was fine. Nothing seemed wrong with the Douglas DC-10.

Suddenly, a foot-long, pie-shaped piece of fanblade flew off, cutting and destroying all three independent hydraulic systems.

Captain Haynes and his flight crew had only the thrust levers for the two remaining engines to work with, forcing them to make only right turns. As much fuel as possible was dumped and the crew made an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa.

Stunningly, 185 people on board survived the cartwheeling, fiery crash landing.

And since then, Haynes’ expertise and experience in handling in-flight emergencies, and the story of United Flight 232, have been constantly sought, with emphasis on addressing professionals in the aviation industry.

“I’ve done about ten talks this year with about four more lined up. I really have cut back.”

His speaking engagements have included instructing new astronauts at the Space Center in Houston

We asked Captain Haynes to comment on the frequently held belief by some over the years that the location of a passenger’s seat on a flight might influence that person’s chance of surviving an emergency landing.

“We had fatalities in every section of the aircraft and we had survivors in every section of the aircraft,” he replied. “It can be a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Al Haynes first moved to Seattle in 1957.

“The airport here was very, very small. It only had about ten gates. Seattle was very friendly and very comfortable. My wife was from Southern California and she fell in love with Seattle, and there was no question we were staying right here.”

Many people thought of Al Haynes this past January when Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after that aircraft suddenly became disabled just after taking off from from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

“He did a superb job,” Haynes said of Sullenberger. “And he did it in a very short period of time. He did an outstanding job of making those quick decisions and reacting as fast as he did. The decision was forced upon him, but to make that decision is still tough.”

While the two had never met before, Haynes and Sullenberger have spoken on the phone with each other twice since the Hudson River landing.

We asked Captain Haynes about his flight crew from that fateful day twenty years ago. The crew included First Officer William Records, Flight Engineer Dudley Dvorak, and Dennis Fitch, a United training pilot who happened to be on board.

“Everybody’s in good shape,” Haynes said. “We hope to have a crew reunion sometime this summer.

“There is a bond there, and we try to keep in contact.”

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The King County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a white, 1990s-model 4-door BMW 5 Series car (see reference photos above of a similar vehicle) driven by the suspects in a shooting that left an 18 year-old man dead on Wednesday night.

As our sister site The B-Town Blog reported, the incident occurred about 11:30pm on Wednesday, June 24th. The victim was in the back seat of a car that was southbound on Military Road South. Four friends were with him in the car. A second vehicle began following the victim’s car but turned off at South 140th. As it did, several rounds were fired and the man was hit.

The men drove straight to Highline Medical Center in Burien, and the victim collapsed in the entrance to the Emergency Room. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The dead man is believed to be from California and was in the area visiting relatives.

If anyone recognizes the vehicle or has information on the shooting they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.

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According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, an 18 year-old man was shot in SeaTac last night around 11:30pm, and subsequently died at Burien’s Highline Medical Center.

The victim was riding in the back seat of a car that was southbound on Military Road South. Four friends were with him in the car. A second vehicle began following the victim’s car but turned off at South 140th; as it did, several rounds were fired and the male victim was hit.

The men drove straight to Highline Medical Center and the man collapsed in the entrance to the Emergency Room. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The dead man is believed to be from California and was in the area visiting relatives.

All the people in the victim’s car were male and in their late teens or early 20s.

There is no description of the suspect vehicle, and no apparent motive for the shooting.

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As of 7:33am Monday morning, the King County Sheriff’s Office announced that the driver of the Cadillac who was shot last Tuesday at South 188th and International Blvd. in SeaTac has died.

On Saturday night, the fourth and final suspect, 21, turned himself in.

Charges for all four are expected this week.

In the meantime, bail was set at $2,000,000 each for Attempted Murder, which now will change to First-Degree Murder.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Final SeaTac Shooting Suspect Turns Self In
• Three Out Of Four SeaTac Shooters Arrested
• VIDEO: Security Cam Footage From SeaTac Shooting
• Shooting At 188th & International Blvd. In SeaTac

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According to The Seattle TImes, a stay of execution was granted today to Cal Coburn Brown, the man convicted of killing 22-year old Holly Washa in a SeaTac motel in 1991.

Washington State Supreme Court judges voted 5-4 to grant Brown’s 11th-hour appeal, after another lower-court judge had denied it on Wednesday.

Brown’s execution by lethal injection was scheduled to occur just after midnight Friday morning at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Brown carjacked Washa, 22, then held her against her will for two days in a SeaTac motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat.

According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated since 1994.

Read the full story here.

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On Wednesday, a judge turned down an attempted stay of execution for Cal Coburn Brown, a man convicted of raping, torturing and murdering a woman in a SeaTac motel in 1991.

Brown was sentenced to death in 1993 for the kidnapping, rape and death of Holly Washa, 22, of Burien. He carjacked her, then held her against her will for two days in a motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat. Her body was later found in the trunk of her own car.

According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated to treat it since 1994.

Barring any other last-minute decisions, Brown will be executed via lethal injection just after midnight Friday at Walla Walla State Penitentiary. He will be the first King County prisoner put to death since 1993, with the state of Washington reinstated the death penalty.

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Monday afternoon, Police found the body of a woman in a wooded area near the Emmanuel Reformed Baptist Church parking lot at 3752 South 182nd Street in SeaTac (map below).

King County Sheriff’s investigators are treating the discovery as suspicious, and an autopsy is being performed to determine cause of death.

The woman’s identity has not yet been released.

Police combed the area for several hours searching for evidence Monday, but there’s no word yet on what was discovered.

The investigation continues.

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