Fact Checking Nelson's "Doors Of Death" light aircraft near death experience

[DrW]

I think he's saying that Deseret Book has a standing policy of throwing itself under the bus in order to protect any of the Brethren from being accountable for any dubious content in any of their books.

The Deseret Books editors held their tongues when they decided not to tell Spencer Kimball that rape victims being encouraged to die before dishonor was not a good idea. The result was that they got to keep their jobs and continued to keep their families clothed and fed. So what if it screwed up the moral fabric of a generation of Mormons? They kept their jobs and were not hauled before an inquisitor for summary excommunication.

Amen, Penguin.

[Lem]

Quote from former 35 year DN editor responding to my email asking him if he knew/was aware/perhaps could check into information on the Russell M. Nelson almost doomed death flight story.

“If it does turn out that an
apocryphal story was included, Deseret Book would simply
assume responsibility for the error, apologize and promise to be
more vigilant in the future.”

I think he's saying that Deseret Book has a standing policy of throwing itself under the bus in order to protect any of the Brethren from being accountable for any dubious content in any of their books. That's pandering to narcissism.

And since Desert Books is a "wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, the holding company for business firms owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)", it's also required "pandering to narcissism." Talk about covering all your bases.

[Gabriel]

Quote from former 35 year DN editor responding to my email asking him if he knew/was aware/perhaps could check into information on the Russell M. Nelson almost doomed death flight story.

“Haven't learned anything new.
Seems to me it's an issue without legs. If it does turn out that an
apocryphal story was included, Deseret Book would simply
assume responsibility for the error, apologize and promise to be
more vigilant in the future. In short, it will be tempest in a teapot
stuff.
It will be remembered as an honest mistake not deception.”


I am almost sorry I asked this guy because of the vagueness
Of his response and by that response it is clear he is not going to deep dive
Into DN resources- what if anything they reported and when did they report it?
Actually his is what a TBM having drunk enough koolaid wiould write. Seems to have no interest in whether Rusty was lying and what that would imply about his character etc.
Slim chance - he did say he would keep his ears open !

k

Thank you for returning and reporting. No surprise though. What else would one expect from former DN staff?

Through newspapers.com, I checked the Deseret News issue for any references to the previous day's aircraft incidences, as well as for information regarding the Kerr inaugural at Dixie College. It was the Saturday paper (49 pages), dated 13th of November 1976. Here is what little I found:

Page 2: There was a plane crash in Shannon, Ireland on Friday night. It was in a twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft. Six people aboard were killed.

Page 8: There was a brief 7 paragraph blurb about Rolf Kerr's inauguration Friday afternoon at Dixie College.

There was no mention of any incident as regards a commercial or charter aircraft having to make an emergency landing in a field anywhere within the state, (although far more mundane matters merited their share of ink).

The November 13, 1976 edition of The Salt Lake Tribune (60 pages) reports:

Page 1: A private jet crashed in Naples, Florida, injuring 11.

Page 30: At 4:30 PM the previous day a Cessna 210 lost power and was forced to make an emergency landing in a field two miles south of the landing strip in Brigham City. Despite rolling over, the pilot and 3 passengers were unhurt. The article includes their names and ages, all residents of Brigham City.

Page 40: Recounts the previous afternoon's inauguration of Rolf Kerr at Dixie College. Among those who attended were delegates of 25 colleges, General Authorities from the Church, members of the State Board of Education, and a number of state legislators.

As with the Deseret News report, there was no mention made of any other aircraft incidents in the state.

[DrW]

Through newspapers.com, I checked the Deseret News issue for any references to the previous day's aircraft incidences, as well as for information regarding the Kerr inaugural at Dixie College. It was the Saturday paper (49 pages), dated 13th of November 1976. Here is what little I found:

[SNIP]

There was no mention of any incident as regards a commercial or charter aircraft having to make an emergency landing in a field anywhere within the state, (although far more mundane matters merited their share of ink).

Your findings reported here support the assumption that Utah media in 1976 did not ignore (1) Piper Navajo crashes (even in Shannon Ireland), (2) aircraft making forced landings in fields, even if no one is injured, (3) airplane crashes in which people were injured, or (4) an inauguration at Dixie college. Only one fantastical story seems to be missing.

[Dr Moore]

I found this link, which may turn up a record of 1970s incidents reported and filed away at SLC airport. I have not ever done a GRAMA request.

https://slcairport.com/business-service ... c-records/

[Res Ipsa]

I found this link, which may turn up a record of 1970s incidents reported and filed away at SLC airport. I have not ever done a GRAMA request.

https://slcairport.com/business-service ... c-records/

Looks like you just fill out the linked form and e-mail it.

[kairos]

The golden question to Rusty would seem to be:
President Nelson, the DN carried a news article on 13 Nov 76 on the inauguration of Rolf Kerr as President of Dixie college and you reported in your autobiography and in a recent biography by Sheri Dew that you gave the invocation at that event. Assuming that is correct you also have reported in those two books that you had difficulty getting to St. George that day because the commuter plane in which you were flying experienced a shutdown right engine causing the plane to dive in a deathly spiral downward until the pilot was able to level the plane in flight and make a landing in a farmers field. Unhurt you were able to obtain another aircraft and get to the Dixie College presidential inauguration on time. President Nelson can you explain why there was no news coverage of that pretty significant aircraft incident in the DN or in the Church News or the SLT? As a follow on are you sure the event you described in your autobiography occurred in November 1976?
Follow on , follow on-President Nelson did you make up that story ?

[Gabriel]

The golden question to Rusty would seem to be:
President Nelson, the DN carried a news article on 13 Nov 76 on the inauguration of Rolf Kerr as President of Dixie college and you reported in your autobiography and in a recent biography by Sheri Dew that you gave the invocation at that event. Assuming that is correct you also have reported in those two books that you had difficulty getting to St. George that day because the commuter plane in which you were flying experienced a shutdown right engine causing the plane to dive in a deathly spiral downward until the pilot was able to level the plane in flight and make a landing in a farmers field. Unhurt you were able to obtain another aircraft and get to the Dixie College presidential inauguration on time. President Nelson can you explain why there was no news coverage of that pretty significant aircraft incident in the DN or in the Church News or the SLT? As a follow on are you sure the event you described in your autobiography occurred in November 1976?
Follow on, follow on-President Nelson did you make up that story ?

The front page of November 18th issue of the college newspaper, The Dixie Sun (4 pgs), covers Rolfe Kerr's Inauguration as the 11th President of Dixie College. Russell is mentioned in the third column:

"The invocation was given by Russell M. Nelson, Sunday School General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

The Sunday, November 14th issue of the Saint George newspaper, Color Country Spectrum (22pgs), devotes the top fold of the front page to Kerr's inauguration. It primarily highlights Kerr's opening address.

There is no mention of any aircraft incidents.

[IHAQ]

Through newspapers.com, I checked the Deseret News issue for any references to the previous day's aircraft incidences, as well as for information regarding the Kerr inaugural at Dixie College. It was the Saturday paper (49 pages), dated 13th of November 1976. Here is what little I found:

Page 2: There was a plane crash in Shannon, Ireland on Friday night. It was in a twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft. Six people aboard were killed.

I’d be interested in hearing the detailed account of this accident.

[Gabriel]

Through newspapers.com, I checked the Deseret News issue for any references to the previous day's aircraft incidences, as well as for information regarding the Kerr inaugural at Dixie College. It was the Saturday paper (49 pages), dated 13th of November 1976. Here is what little I found:

Page 2: There was a plane crash in Shannon, Ireland on Friday night. It was in a twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft. Six people aboard were killed.

I’d be interested in hearing the detailed account of this accident.

There wasn't much in the way of detail in the Deseret News account. It was posted under the heading "News Capsules" with a half dozen other AP and UPI stories, all of two paragraphs each. But here it is, anyway.

Ireland plane crash kills 6

SHANNON AIRPORT, Ireland (UPI) - Rescue workers searched the wreckage of an air taxi and the surrounding area Saturday for the body of one of the six persons killed when the plane crashed in dense fog Friday night.
Five bodies were recovered from the wreck of the twin-engine Piper Navajo which crashed and burned two miles from Shannon after taking off from the airport here.