American Notes TRANSPORTATION

One woman called it the worst landing she had ever experienced -- and few of her fellow passengers would disagree. After a sharp descent through rain and fog last week, Eastern Airlines Flight 573 slammed so hard onto a runway in Pensacola, Fla., that the DC-9 broke in two, dragging the rear third of its fuselage nearly a mile. "I looked down and I saw the pavement and stripes going under me," said Kyle Barnhill, who was sitting directly over the 2-ft. crack. None of the plane's 100 passengers and five-member crew were seriously hurt. Eastern executives stoutly defended the plane's maintenance record and the "extensive experience" of the crew but were clearly embarrassed. Photographers were kept away from the damaged plane until an Eastern crew covered the company logo.