Point Loma High’s Pointer football team already knew it was going to have its hands full when they took the field Friday night to battle the undefeated Granite Bay Grizzlies in this Sacramento suburb. What they couldn’t plan for was a harrowing incident aboard their Southwest Airlines plane enroute. It was after 9 a.m. Oct. 2 when, while soaring high above the Southern California landscape on a twin-engine Boeing 737, players, coaches and support staff heard a loud “pop.” Looking out portside windows, the group saw smoke and flames coming from the engine. This could not be a comforting sight to even seasoned fliers, much less several players and other students making their first flight. Almost immediately, Flight 252’s left wing dipped sharply until the craft’s pilot stabilized the plane. Flight attendants scurried to ask stunned players if they had seen smoke, then ran to relay the information to the cockpit. A cabin announcement was made, indicating the plane would be making an unscheduled landing in Los Angeles. Passengers were told the left engine had “seized,” resulting in an explosion. Veteran team trainer Lindsey Donoley said the plane “spiraled down and flew at a low altitude” toward the international airport as students and other passengers braced themselves. Their fears were likely not calmed when a large number of fire engines and ambulances were spotted lining the runway as the craft descended. The plane landed safely, however, prompting universal praise for the pilot. Firefighters surrounded the plane on the runway until it was determined the engine posed no further threat while students began calling family members on their cell phones to share the experience. The plane was towed to a terminal gate where passengers were allowed to disembark. Another aircraft was brought in and the group arrived in Sacramento about two hours behind schedule. Sophomore linebacker Eric Bueno, at 5’ ‘7″and 210 pounds, a hard-hitting defensive mainstay, knelt and kissed the LAX terminal floor upon deplaning. It was Bueno’s first flight and he was observed planting another peck on Lindbergh Field carpet after Saturday evening’s eventless return flight. The away-game experience may well be a trip few of the Pointers and staff will ever forget.