By Ben Sherwood
The Survivors Club

I just flew on a regional jet from Los Angeles to Monterey, California. After watching the National Transportation Safety Board hearings in Washington this week investigating the crash of the Continental commuter plane near Buffalo, I confess that I was very focused on the pilots and the airplane.

When I poked my head into the cockpit, I was relieved to learn that the captain had more than 18,000 hours in the air, including military service, while the First Officer had more than 7,000 hours. I only had a few moments up front, so I ran through my checklist: Did the two men look awake? (Yes). Did they seem focused on their work? (Yes). Did they flunk any previous flying proficiency tests? (Couldn't tell). Did they pull all-nighters to get to their job? (Couldn't tell).

The last questions may sound strange, but they're entirely justified after what we learned this week about the Continental tragedy. Minutes before the fiery crash in Clarence Center on February 12, Capt. Marvin Renslow (47) and First Officer Rebecca Shaw (24) chatted about the icy weather. "You know, I'd have freaked out," Shaw said. "I'd have, like, seen this much ice and thought, oh my gosh, we were going to crash."

The crew kept yakking about their careers and non-flight-related matters (a violation of FAA rules below a certain altitude), unaware their plane had slowed to a dangerous speed. When the stick shaker alarm went off, warning of the airspeed problem, the pilot did all the wrong things, pulling up instead of pushing the nose down to gain speed and recover. Continental Connection Flight 3407 experienced a preventable aerodynamic stall and fifty people perished.

"I think this crew went from complacency to catastrophe in 20 seconds," said NTSB board member Debbie Hersman.

It turns out that Capt. Renslow had flunked three "check rides" - the flying equivalent of driver proficiency tests. It turns out Renslow worked stacking shelves in Tampa, Florida before being hired by Colgan Air, the regional carrier that operated Flight 3407 for Continental. Colgan says Renslow only disclosed one of his check ride failures and wouldn't have hired him if it had known about the other two. It turns out that both pilots were probably fatigued after commuting long distances, sleeping on couches or in staff lounges the night before their flight. Officer Shaw, who earned around $16,000 a year and once worked a second job in a coffee shop, had pulled an all-nighter to fly across country to her base in Newark.

When I took my seat in 4B this morning, I was left with the same question on the minds of air travelers this week: What are my chances on this flight? How safe are smaller, regional carriers. And what can I do to improve my chances in the unlikely event of a crash?

By TSC Staff

The killer storm front moving across the central Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley is pushing eastward after taking three lives in Missouri. The weather system has wreaked havoc across the Midwest this week, ripping through four states and leaving thousands without power.

Tales of survival are emerging from the wreckage.  The Kirksville Daily Express in Missouri offers a riveting, frightening wrap-up on what it was like when the tornadoes hit.

By TSC Staff

Sometimes we pause to pay tribute to survivors and thrivers who face daunting challenges like cancer and who ultimately succumb to the disease.

Actress Farrah Fawcett is reportedly unconscious in a Los Angeles hospital, surrounded by her family and friends, including Ryan O'Neal and son Redmond.  Her 91-year-old father is reportedly rushing to her bedside to bid farewell.

The 62-year-old star of the hit TV show Charlie's Angels has battled anal cancer since 2006.  After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, Fawcett was declared cancer-free in February 2007. However, in May 2007, the cancer returned.  She recently returned from Germany where she received experimental stem cell treatments.  Apparently, the disease has spread to her liver and treatments have ended.

Anal cancer is quite rare.  Last year, there were approximately 5,000 new cases in the United States and around 700 deaths because of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, "while anal cancer is a serious disease, treatment is very effective. Most people with this cancer can be cured."

What follows are some questions and answers about anal cancer: 

By Ben Sherwood
The Survivors Club

Earlier this week, three-year-old Joshua Childers wandered away from his home in southeast Missouri wearing only a T-shirt, sneakers and a pull-up diaper. After intensive searching for more than 52 agonizing hours, the 35-pound toddler was found alive three miles from his home in the wet, chilly and rough terrain of the Mark Twain National Forest, home to bears, mountain lions, and snakes.

"I went on a hike," the boy said after the ordeal. Then he asked for a glass of milk.

Searchers had been feeling pessimistic about finding Joshua alive. He had been lost in the wet, cold woods for almost three days. "It's a miracle," says Sheriff David Lewis. "I'm so happy, you can't believe it."

Without doubt, little Joshua's survival is a real cause for celebration. It also reveals the fascinating science of "lost person behavior" -- who gets lost, why, and who has the greatest chance of survival. And it presents an opportunity to revisit the most important survival rule if you lose your way in the woods (or anywhere else for that matter).

By TSC Staff

Connie Culp's facial movements are still a bit stiff, but she can talk and smile, a remarkable achievement given that she survived a shotgun blast in 2004 that left a massive hole in her face.  Today, Connie's speech can be difficult to understand and she looks bloated, but she's an extraordinary member of the Survivors Club.  This week, the 46-year-old Ohio woman stepped forward to reveal that she is America's first face transplant recipient.  In a 22-hour operation, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic replaced 80 percent of her face with bone, blood vessels, muscle, nerves and skin from another woman who had just died.

Read more below about Connie Culp's remarkable story from the Associated Press...

By TSC Staff

His greatest hope is to be able to hold his 13-year-old daughter again.  That's one big reason Jeff Kepner, 57, of August Georgia, underwent nine hours of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where surgeons performed the nation's first double hand transplant.  A decade ago, Kepner's hands and feet were ravaged by a blood infection. At the time, his daughter was three years old.

For more of the gripping details on this extraordinary member of The Survivors Club, here's the Associated Press report...

By Ben Sherwood
The Survivors Club

Long before you'll ever come down with swine flu, you'll be exposed to another kind of virus sweeping the world: A global outbreak of online scams and swindles preying on your fears of the so-called aporkalypse. In coming days when you receive emails offering a variety of ways to ward off swine flu, you can be sure of one thing: it's hogwash.

Computer viruses earned their name for good reason: They multiply and spread just like human viruses. And right now, Internet security experts say, swine flu scams are spreading at pandemic levels.

To protect yourself, they say, watch out for four kinds of threats: