Call of Duty

Hero Southwest Pilot: ‘We Were Simply Doing Our Jobs’

Capt. Tammie Jo Shults rejects “hero” tag.

The pilot who displayed “nerves of steel” when engine debris ripped through Southwest Flight 1380 has rejected her “hero” tag, saying she was just doing her job. As oxygen masks dangled down overhead and passengers screamed as they tried to save a woman who was being sucked out of a broken window, former Navy pilot Tammie Jo Shults was the picture of calm as she communicated with air-traffic control to land safely. One woman died in the incident but Shults has been praised for saving the lives of the other passengers. Shults and her first officer, Darren Ellisor, have refused to do any media interviews but spoke through a statement issued by Southwest Airlines. “We all feel we were simply doing our jobs,” Shults and Ellisor said in a statement posted on the airline’s Twitter feed. “Our hearts are heavy. On behalf of the entire crew, we appreciate the outpouring of support from the public and our coworkers as we all reflect on one family’s profound loss.”