Michaels, Haynes Speaking at VPPPA's Annual Conference
The conference begins Aug. 28 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, with OSHA's Dr. David Michaels and Capt. Al Haynes, made famous by the successful crash landing of United Airlines Flight 232 on July 19, 1989.
A strong lineup of speakers highlights this year's 27th Annual National VPPPA Conference, which will start with pre-conference workshops Aug. 28 and then the conference itself Aug. 29 through Sept. 1. Speakers include OSHA's Dr. David Michaels and Capt. Al Haynes, who became famous when he and three others successfully crash-landed United Airlines Flight 232, a DC-10, in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19, 1989, when an engine blew and disabled all three of its hydraulic systems in flight, which meant power to all of the control systems was lost.
Haynes has said redundancies in the aircraft's design meant the odds were a billion to one that would not occur, but it did on that day's flight bound from Chicago to Denver. That they managed to get the plane on the ground at all was miraculous, he said. Although 112 people died in the crash on a closed runway and an adjoining field, 185 people survived.
Haynes will speak during the conference's closing general session. The opening general session speakers are Michaels, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LyondellBasell CEO James L. Gallogly, and motivational speaker Jamie Clarke.
The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association's conference includes an Aug. 29-31 expo with more than 200 vendors participating, workshops, an annual meeting of the membership, and networking opportunities with both OSHA and Department of Energy representatives.
The agenda is available here.