When the engine exploded, chunks of metal ripped apart all three of the jet's hydraulic systems, causing the loss of hydraulic fluid and shutting down the system that control the plane's altitude and direction. 'The potential was that we could all go straight down,' Brown said. Jan Brown, who was the lead flight attendant, recalled the crash in 2014, telling The Associated Press the crew quickly realized the danger. The crash also led to changes in plane design to add backup systems that could prevent such catastrophic failures, which made Haynes' flight nearly impossible to control.

'On my mind forever will be the thoughts of the 112 who did not survive,' Haynes told the Des Moines Register in 2014. On the 25th anniversary of the crash, Haynes said he'd always think of those who died. The acclaim was similar to the credit given to US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger in 2009 when he landed a jet on the Hudson River in New York. Haynes was credited for guiding the severely damaged plane toward the airport by making a series of 360-degree turns to the right.

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