Mt. St. Helens

Flying into an ash plume as a passenger on a Northwest Airlines B-727 wasn’t on my bucket list in 1981. Mt. St Helens blew on May 18, 1980. In the following months, smaller eruptions from time to time would send ash plumes several thousand feet high. Prevailing winds from the West sent the plumes away from the coast.

Returning from Portland to Seattle one afternoon, the mountain was active. Sometime during our taxi and departure the wind shifted and the plume drifted toward the ocean. Typical Portland weather, overcast with tops around 12,000. Somehow we flew into the ash plume.

Being an airline passenger as a General Aviation pilot is a mixed blessing. You can enjoy the view and the ride but detect problems much sooner than the other passengers.

On this flight I was puzzled we hadn’t broken out of the overcast. Usual flights to Seattle climbed to 19,000 or so.  Then we descended below the clouds and appeared to be on a base leg for landing at Olympia, WA. Another course change and we headed North at about 2,000 AGL. Very strange! No cabin announcements. The plane landed at Sea-Tac and taxied to the gate.

I made it a point to walk where I could see the 727. There was no paint on the nose or the engine inlets. The cockpit windows appeared to be frosted. I think the crew earned their pay that day!