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On July 5, 1927 the first Northwest Airlines flight to carry ticketed passengers took off from Minneapolis headed for Chicago.  But over Hastings the engine suddenly "went deader than a smelt," recalled one of the passengers, and the plane was forced to land in an open field. Author Jack El-Hai talks about this story and many others from his new book with MPR's Cathy Wurzer.

On July 5, 1927 the first Northwest Airlines flight to carry ticketed passengers took off from Minneapolis headed for Chicago.  But over Hastings the engine suddenly "went deader than a smelt" recalled one of the passengers and the plane was forced to land in an open field.  It was a fitting start for an airline that would have its ups and downs over the next 80 years.  The story is told in a new book "Non-Stop: A Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines."   MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with the author, Jack El-Hai.

NWA's long and colorful history

Jack El-Hai's 'Non-Stop: Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines'

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