In Angel on the Wing, Joan Zeller shares how she survived a plane crash that took sixty-five lives in February 1959. She was a stewardess on American Airlines Flight 320, returning to New York from Chicago. Close to midnight on that foggy, cold evening, the plane crashed into the choppy waters of the East River on approach to LaGuardia Airport. Joan Zeller's memoir vividly brings to life the events of the crash, the peril passengers and crew experienced following impact, the time spent in the frigid waters in total darkness before their dramatic rescue, and her recovery from traumatic injuries sustained in the accident. The author was inspired to pen her story when she came across a website that chronicled the events of that evening, listing the names of those who perished, as well as the eight survivors. Following the story was an opportunity to respond in an open letter. After reading pleas from family members of the deceased she recognized an invaluable opportunity as eyewitness and survivor, to help bring solace and closure to the families of those who lost loved ones that fateful night.

Author Biography

Joan Zeller has been a restless soul for as long as she can remember, seeing the world as a breathless end of new experiences to be explored. Quitting a stable, career-oriented job and going in the airlines was her stepping off point. She threw caution to the winds and left herself open to whatever opportunities came her way. Her book is an expression of her free spirit and how she handled a terrible tragedy. After a colorful life, she is now retired and resides in a quiet New England town and has taken up watercolor painting of pets and wildlife.