Captain Haynes was a true hero and a heckuva nice guy. One of my friends and a neighbor, Arnie Jackson (gone west) was a retired UAL DC-10 captain who flew with Al Haynes several times, and I met the man twice. When recounting the crash, he always gave credit to the other crew members onboard flight 232 and downplayed his own role.

When the Sioux City tower told him he was cleared to land "on any runway" Haynes replied with a chuckle, "Oh, you want to be specific and make it a runway."

At 87, he had a good run. Go well, Captain.