ABSTRACT
At a nearby Salvation Army canteen, workers served lunchmeat and cheese sandwiches. Tables were set up under a white circus-style tent within yards of the crumpled Boeing
727, Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, that was the focus of attention. The plane went down just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, killing 13 people. Some 95 others
escaped miraculously. Dozens of news trucks were parked in a row, satellite dishes pointed skyward. An airport
fire truck remained ready next to the charred jetliner. Portable generators were brought in and high-intensity lights allowed investigators to
work through the night. Sixteen officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation
Safety Board arrived from Washington to examine the wreckage. General Telephone crews finished burying temporary cables strung to the scene and
hooked up banks of pay phones marked “No Money Required.” The tip of the ill-fated jet’s left wing protruded under the chain link fence marking the
airport boundary. The wing became a popular object of attention with t v reporters as many squatted beside it to illustrate their stories.
