It was about three in the morning, when the scouts had been back for an hour, that the pilot decided to act.
The two pilots decided to catch the earlier express, the 0720.
The pilot evaluated the situation as not dangerous and decided to continue his flight.
Alone in their 50-seat commercial jet, the two young pilots decided to see what it could do.
The pilot gained control after a fashion, and decided that he had taken enough.
Once a pilot decided he'd lost the edge, there wasn't much point in trying to change his mind.
At 9:24 the pilot decided he was unable to land.
The pilot then decided to make another approach before diverting.
Mike looked at the girl on his lap after the pilot had gone and decided to let her sleep a little longer.
Below that altitude, pilots must decide if they can see the field well enough to land.