Southwest's heroic pilot Tammie Jo Shults saved 148 lives when she safely landed Flight 1380 after its left engine broke down and damaged the plane mid-flight. At the height of the emergency, the Navy-trained pilot maintained calm and cool, and the people who know her best believe that her strong faith in God played a part in how she handled the situation.
Linda Maloney, a long-time friend who flew with Shults in the Navy in the 1980s, said that the hero pilot is a God-fearing person whose strong faith guided the safe landing. She says she spoke with Shults after the incident on Flight 1380.
She says Shults told her that "God is good" after confirming that she was indeed the pilot on the plane, Maloney revealed on Today. She added: "Her faith played a big role in this, and she's really thankful to God that she was the person that piloted the aircraft and she was able to save all those lives."
The 56-year-old pilot's mother-in-law, Virginia, told the press that Shults' faith gave her peace and wisdom and she was likely talking to God as she worked on the safe landing. A neighbor was similarly not surprised by her heroism as she described the pilot as a "strong Christian lady."
Southwest Flight 1380, which was bound for Dallas from New York, had to do an emergency landing in Philadelphia at around 11 a.m. on April 17 after a fan blade broke and ruptured the plane's left side engine. One window cracked and partially pulled passenger Jennifer Riordan out. Other passengers attempted to hold her down and also plug the window. Tragically, Riordan did not survive and died later in the hospital.
The surviving passengers and crew have hailed Shults for her heroism. Diana McBride, who was on the plane, posted a photo of Shults assuring and comforting each of the passengers as they departed the broken plane.
