Hero Pilot On Rescue Mission

A little over a decade ago, United Airlines Capt. Al Haynes became a reluctant hero when the second engine of the DC-10 he was flying failed, resulting in a loss of all three hydraulic systems and the plane's power controls.

Haynes worked with the crew to crash-land the plane safely and try to save the 285 passengers on board the July 19, 1989, flight. His actions helped to save 184 people. The entire crash was caught on tape, making it one of the most famous airline crashes in history, and making Haynes a national hero.

Now, 14 years later, he has returned to the public eye. This time for a different reason: his daughter, Laurie Haynes Arguello, was diagnosed with a rare bone-marrow disorder, and needs a costly bone-marrow transplant. While there are two donors ready for the transplant, the Haynes' insurance will cover only half of the surgery.

The father and daughter already have collected thousands of dollars by appealing to various airline organizations and to the public.

Capt. Haynes says, "The Air Line Pilots Association, it's on their Web site. The Association Of Flight Attendants, it's on their Web site. I believe it's going onto the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association Web site and the Retired Pilots and all of these. Just a lot of people are really coming through for us."

He also as heard from passengers whose lives he helped to save 14 years ago.

He says, "I've had phone calls in the past three days (from those) who have seen the show and wanted to know if they could help. We received mail from some, too. It's kind of an emotional moment when they call."

Haynes Arguello says she has learned from her dad to remain positive through the whole experience. She says, "We've had some trying times in our days and the best thing to do is to find something positive and move forward, don't dwell on the past."

Haynes adds, "We learned that things happen that you can't deal with. And when my son was killed and my wife died, we all faced that. These things happened to us and so you have to accept it and we have to accept this (referring to his daughter's illness) and try to conquer it if we can and deal with it the best we can."

If you wish to help, please visit friendsforlaurie.com. And for more information, visit Transplants.org.