Emergency Landing

Arctic conditions, rough terrain, and remote homesteads make landing planes in Alaska a white-knuckled adventure. At Fairbanks International, crews race to clear the runway of snow for an approaching aircraft. In Anaktuvuk Pass, a 75-year-old war plane is used to make a car delivery but first must land on an unprepared frozen ice strip. And back at Ted Stevens, the captain of a 747 sends a distress call. Without wheels to touch down, he may be forced to land his 900,000-pound aircraft on its fuselage while traveling at 170 mph.