A commercial pilot is forced to keep a plane aloft that was struck in midair by another plane to keep it from ripping apart even as the fuel is running out and the air and cabin pressure is dropping.

An airliner collides with a light plane just after takeoff, causing its elevators to jam in the full climb position. It will crash as soon as the fuel runs out, unless some desperate measure succeeds in bringing the nose down.—Anonymous

A passenger airplane is involved in a mid-air collision shortly after takeoff. The damage forces it to continue to climb higher and higher, which computer simulations indicate will rip the plane in two. While trying to get the plane safely back on the ground, the captain on the flight must deal with the airline inspector (who holds a grudge from a previous encounters), his feelings for the co-pilot (his girlfriend), and the manufacturer of the plane (whose recommendations for action are not ethically motivated).—Scott Ventura <[email protected]>