Lamar Smith: “…The pilot in command, a gentleman named Terrence Courtney—a senior captain, a hero—was at his post with his co-pilot, and the two of them were having to hold the yoke actually all the way over to the left side and all the rudder they could put in to just maintain level flight.
Even though they didn’t have enough thrust, enough power on the two engines on the left to maintain level flight, they were in a slow descent. And when they got down, my impression is around 1,500 feet, he realized that the airplane was going to go down, and he ordered the crew to bail out. They had already hooked up their chutes, and the crew started bailing out the ramp at the back… and seven of them made it out.
Terrence Courtney knew he was a dead man. If he had released the yoke and the rudder to run and jump out, the airplane would immediately tilt over, and he wouldn’t make it—nor anybody else on the airplane. He knew—it’s a classic thing that we’ve seen in movies—he knew that he had to stay at his post, and he committed himself to doing that.
Terrence Courtney received the Air Force Cross, the Air Force’s highest decoration, for that level of heroism. Yet that is Medal of Honor work in my opinion… His co-pilot was with him and he wouldn’t leave, and Terrence ordered him—military order—he said, ‘I’ve got this. I can hold it long enough. You go. I order you to go.’ And he was the last guy out and just barely made it.”