First Lieutenant Leon Crane fumbles with the clasp of his parachute harness, trying to get it to clip across his chest,

but his hands are trembling and he's wearing thick mittens to protect against the cold of high

altitude.

Through the cockpit window, he sees the Alaskan landscape spinning by.

Glimpses of forests, snow, and mountains rush past as the plane corkscrews downward.

He knows he has only minutes, maybe seconds before they crash.

Crane yanks hard, trying to get the buckle to clip over his layers.

He's wearing a parka and a thick down flight suit.

You need all of these layers when the air outside is minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but buckling a parachute harness over them is a struggle.

It's December 21st, 1943. Crane is inside the cramped cockpit of a B24 bomber.

He and his four fellow crewmen are flying over a remote stretch of Alaska on what was supposed

to be a routine test flight. But just moments ago, something

went horribly wrong. Crane looks over at the pilot, second lieutenant Harold Hoskin, who's wrestling with the yoke, trying to level the plane.

But Crane knows it's no use. The plane is going down, and the only way to survive is to parachute out.

He yells to Hoskin.

Hosse, we have to bail out now!

Crane pulls harder on the harness clasp.

Still no luck.

He yanks off his mittens and tries again.

Finally, he snaps the harness closed.

He gets up and staggers out of the cockpit. The G forces from the plane's death

spiral fight him with every step as he drags himself back into the body of the plane.

...