The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Trump hails bravery of crew, passengers aboard damaged plane
WASHINGTON » President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed the “tremendous bravery” of the crew and passengers aboard a damaged Southwest Airlines plane that was forced into an emergency landing in Philadelphia last month, saying, “Everybody’s talking about it.”
Trump also paid tribute to Jennifer Riordan, a 43-yearold Wells Fargo bank executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who died of injuries suffered after she was partially sucked out of a window that had been broken by shrapnel.
“Our hearts break for the family of the passenger who tragically lost their life,” the president said in the Oval Office, surrounded by the two pilots, three flight attendants and five passengers who assisted frightened passengers. “We send our prayers to Jennifer’s husband and their two beautiful young children. We ask God to hold this family close as they grieve the loss of a loving wife and mother.”
Trump said, “She must have been a fantastic woman.” Seven other passengers suffered physical injuries.
Another passenger is suing Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and engine maker CFM International for negligence, saying she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since the emergency. The passenger, Lilia Chavez, says in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Philadelphia that she sat three seats behind the shattered window and witnessed “the horror” of what happened to Riordan.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 was headed from New York to Dallas with 149 people on board in April when it was forced to land in Philadelphia after an engine on the Boeing 737 exploded at 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). Shrapnel damaged the fuselage and broke the window.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Trump added to the praise that the pilot, Capt. Tammie Jo Shults, has earned for helping prevent a far worse outcome, saying she did an “incredible job.”
“Everybody’s talking about it. They’re still talking about it. They’ll be talking about it for a long time,” he told Shults, who was one of the first female Navy fighter pilots and flew training missions as an enemy pilot during Operation Desert Storm.