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air, shutting off the damaged engine and banking around on the
one engine to land on the runway again. Providentially the hand
of God stopped us in time.
Immediately we decided to try to charter another plane.
We had five Japanese with us who had flown with us from Tokyo.
Three had been high members of the Diet on an important, official
government mission. The leader of them and I were to be
co-speakers at a very important dinner at Jerusalem the following
night. It was imperative that we be there. No plane was available
to charter, and no crew. Cairo is probably the worst major city in
the world for communications. There is no way to telephone or
telegraph elsewhere. The accident could not have happened in a
worse place!
But Mr. Rader, who always flies with me, was able to catch
a commercial flight within the hour to Beirut. There he would
1) try to charter a plane; or 2) telephone or telex Pasadena where
our own flight people could take the quickest possible action on
having a replacement "loaner" engine flown to Cairo, and also
flying three more mechanics to Cairo to change engines.
The only way the rest of us -- Japanese guests included
-- could get on to Israel was to take a 2:45 a.m. Japan Airlines
plane, stopping off at Cairo, for Rome. After a four-hour lay-
over in Rome, then catch an Italian airline for Tel Aviv.
The accident occurred about noon. I remained in my seat
in the plane until about 3:30. Then in the evening we all took
rooms, bare, shabby third or fourth class, in an airport hotel,
adjoining the terminal. I got in about three hours' sleep,
awakened at 1:00 a.m. ready for the 2:45 plane for Rome. Mr. Rader
had returned from Beirut and flew on to Rome with us. No charter
planes were available in Beirut.
We arrived at Rome without incident. At an airport hotel,
perhaps some five miles from the airport, I managed to get about
another single hour's sleep. Back at the Rome airport we ran into
a hassle between our Japanese guests and airport officials in
regard to opening and "fine-tooth-combing" every piece of luggage.
Mr. Rader finally prevailed upon airport officials to allow each
of us to personally open his own luggage. Our luggage had been
checked at the airport to be put on an Alitalia plane. What
bothered the airport officials was fear someone might have planted
a bomb in a piece of our luggage while it was checked there in
transit for more than three hours. Mr. Rader having satisfied
the officials, each of us did in fact inspect our own luggage and
did satisfy our Japanese, since it removed all suspicion that they
might be carrying a bomb or arms for a hijack attempt.
However, this inspection delayed us 30-45 minutes. Of
course, we were all searched, since we were on an official trip
(that is, our three Congressmen). As long as we flew our own
plane, they had arranged ahead through their Japanese embassies,
whenever we landed to give us special VIP treatment, avoiding all
security checking against hijacking.