Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds

The Tragedy and Triumph of ASA Flight 529

By: Gary M. Pomerantz

Narrated by: Boyd Gaines

In August 1995, twenty-six passengers and a crew of three board a commuter plane in Atlanta headed for Gulfport, Mississippi. Shortly after takeoff they hear an explosion and some see a mangled engine lodged against the wing. From that moment, nine minutes and twenty seconds elapse until the crippled plane crashes in a west Georgia hayfield. Gary Pomerantz takes listeners deep into the hearts and minds of the people aboard, each of whom prepares in his or her own way for what may come.
Ultimately, nineteen people survive both the crash and its devastating aftermath, all of them profoundly affected by what they have seen and more important, what they have done to help themselves and others.
This psychologically illuminating real-life drama about ordinary people and how they behave in extraordinary circumstances is surprisingly optimistic. In telling the remarkable stories of these twenty-nine men and women, Gary Pomerantz has written one of the most compelling books in recent memory. Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds speaks as powerfully about our capacity to care for others as it does about the strength of our will to live. This rich and rewarding audiobook will linger in your mind long after you finish listening.©2001 Gary Pomerantz. All rights reserved; (P)2001 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

Dominick Dunne An Ode to the Beauty and Dignity of the Human Spirit.

David J. Garrow Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing the Cross A deeply moving account of the extraordinary strengths that ordinary people can display when tragedy confronts them.

First Rate Drama

On a hot August afternoon in 1995, ASA 529 on a routine flight from Atlanta to Gulfport, Mississippi came to a skiddering, metal grinding stop in an Alabama hayfield. Moments later, it burst into flames and the lives of its 29 passengers and crew changed forever. Incredibly, most aboard survived though some were horribly burned, others suffering life threatening injuries. In this excellent docudrama presentation, writer Gary Pomarantz takes us into the personal lives of passanger and crew, both prior to the flight and in the days, months and years afterword. We meet the technician at Hamilton Standard who worked on the prop, the failure of which lead to the crash. The pilot, first officer, cabin attendant and most of the passengers become well known and their fates make for riveting listening. Though not a fan of abridgements, I found this one did not leave me wonting for facts obviously deleted from the orginal text. Narration by Boyd Gaines was excellent.

Unique Read

I could never bring myself to say "good read" of a book recounting the tragedy of any crash; especially, ASA 529. Two years prior to the crash, I had worked Crew Scheduling at ASA. Unbeknownst to anyone 21 months later I would be workin the ValuJet 592 crash. The narrator did an excellent job in capturing the dialect of Ed and Robin. Also explaining the deals of the NTSB. The impact of these events are awful.

Wow! So intense!

I was hesitant to buy this audio book since it has been out so long yet has so few reviews. But WOW this is a great book. As a former flight attendant I understood every moment of what was occurring yet it’s written in such a way that anyone could understand. Very informative and the moments of the crash told from each passengers perspective had me on the edge of my seat not wanting to stop listening.

A gripping account of ASA 529 plane crash

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend 9 Minutes, 20 Seconds to anyone who enjoys this genre - non-fiction - aviation accidents - true life drama etc.

What other book might you compare Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds to and why?

Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert
Similar in that it recounts the events before, during, and after a tragedy, along with survivor and victim stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

The emotional scene in the ambulance between the co-pilot and the lady EMT brought me to tears.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several, but the co-pilot reminding the EMT of her son stands out the most to me. Also, the encounter between Kevin B. and the girl in the flowered dress struck a chord.

Any additional comments?

Online, I was able to find the the seating chart with pictures of the victims included in the book. This was very helpful in keeping all the passengers straight and visualizing how things occurred during the accident.

When details were necessary, the author was able to explain the technical aspects of the crash in a way that I could understand. It was not boring to me. The narrator did a good job .However, being from the Atlanta area myself, I found the southern accent to be a little over the top, and cringed every time he said, "Bi-LOCKS- i" Just an observation :)

While the book does have many inspiring moments, I was left feeling sad and
somewhat depressed at the end. I should have kept in mind that a story about a fatal plane crash can't be expected to have all happy endings.

Really 5 stars!

One of the best books I've read, even at 1.5x speed, I still captured every emotion. I teared-up at parts towards the end of the book.