Just 36 hours later, a Royal Airlines Boeing757 from Toronto to Glasgow was forced to land at Goose Bay military base in Newfoundland after smoke appeared in the cockpit.
The specially outfitted Boeing757 barely shuddered as it gingerly skirted some of the most ferocious storm cells over Fort Walton Beach and then climbed above the rest in zero visibility.
According to industry estimates, a nearly full 757, operating with fewer flight attendants, can be more profitable than a larger plane such as the Boeing 767 carrying the same number of passengers but more attendants.