The plane lurched heavily and something ripped against the undercarriage. The lights in the cabin went out and Jane felt Miss Comstock pitched into her lap. In a flash she wrapped her arms around the chief stewardess and held her as tightly as possible.
There was the sensation of falling blindly into a great abyss and then came a jarring crash that seemed to split the cabin apart. After that there was a silence, broken only by the sobbing of the wind.
Jane felt the chief stewardess struggling to free herself from her arms.
“Let me go,” gasped Miss Comstock. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Jane released her hold and spoke to Sue.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Except for still being scared half to death.”
Other girls were moving about, unfastening their safety belts and trying to get to their feet.
“The cabin’s on a sharp angle,” Miss Comstock told them. “Take off your belts, get down in the aisle on your hands and knees, and follow me to the rear.”
Jane and Sue obeyed, with Sue directly behind Miss Comstock. Then came Jane with Grace Huston and Alice Blair following and the other girls behind them. No one appeared to be hurt except for minor bruises and bumps.