ABSTRACT

There are ill discoverers who think there is no land when they can see nothing but sea.

Samuel Johnson

Introduction

At 12:09 pm Central Standard Time (CST) on Friday, March 10, 1989, Capt. George C. Morwood, age 52, a 24,000-hour flight time veteran, including 673 hours' experience in jets, advanced the throttles of CFONF, Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F28 1000, initiating the takeoff roll from runway 29 at the small provincial airport of Dryden, Ontario, Canada. His actions were scrutinized by First Officer Keith Mills, age 35 and a veteran in his own right, with more than 10,000 hours' experience including 3500 hours in jets. It is possible that the start of the take-off roll was accompanied with a sigh of relief by the conscientious, 'fly-by-the-book' captain. So far, March 10 had been a frustrating day in which weather, heavier than forecasted passenger bookings and the less-than-optimum operational status of C-FONF had combined to produce numerous delays. This bothered Capt. Morwood, a professional known by his commitment to on-time performance and concern for his passengers. But the end of the day - and the frustrations - was around the corner, a mere 45 minutes away, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.