Report: Terrifying Flight Never Reported 7:44 a.m. ET (1244 GMT) February 20, 2000

DETROIT  A jetliner flying from Fort Myers, Fla., to Detroit last month took two terrifying dives that nearly led to a crash. But the Washington Post says the incidents were never reported, and the plane flew two more times without being checked out before the situation came to light.

Federal officials are investigating Spirit Airlines Flight 685, in which the pilot reportedly found himself flying too high for the plane's weight. The plane then went into two dives so steep that passengers screamed and prayed out loud. One passenger said afterward they thought they were going to die.

A plane subjected to that kind of stress would normally get a thorough inspection. But the plane's crew failed to notify mechanics. Only a flood of passenger complaints prompted the airline's chief pilot to conduct his own investigation.

An airline executive says the pilot has been suspended with pay pending a hearing.

http://www.foxnews.com/national/022000/airliner_dive.sml

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), February 20, 2000