Atlantisarch0 ... the Sullenberger reference is not miscellaneous and it is the sign of a good writer who can incorporate world events into their work. Maybe you do not live in the States... but EVERYONE living in the States knows Capt Sulleberger saved an entire plane of people by landing in the Hudson River... which is almost impossible to do without flipping the plane and killing the passengers. (reference to the hijacked plane in 1996 that ran out of fuel and crashed in the ocean) google it.
Haven't got the date for the strip to hand, but years back the PHB was presumed dead in a plane crash: he turned out to have survived because the nuns on board cushioned the impact ("they don't do a lot of aerobics at the nunnery")
(IIRC Scott got into a bit of trouble with induhviduals for that one, which he discusses in one of his books - at work now so can't check the reference)