Harold Gifford

A harrowing flight in a blizzard on January 17, 1960 almost wiped out the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers franchise. Harold Gifford of Woodbury, the co-pilot of that DC-3 flight hampered by an emergency failure who helped land the plane in a Carroll, Iowa cornfield, has written a book, The Miracle Landing, recounting the events of that flight and the landing of the plane. Read more about Woodbury Resident Harold Gifford Authors the Miracle Landing

Imagine flying an airplane in a rough Midwest snow storm with no heat, no defroster, no lights, no radio, no fuel gauge and no navigation system.
   
Harold “Giff” Gifford, a Woodbury resident with a stellar flying career, was co-pilot on a famous 5 hour, 40 minute flight that experienced those daunting challenges. “Though it all occurred over 52 years ago, the events are etched in my memory vividly,” says Gifford, 88.
    Read more about Woodbury's Harold Gifford Recalls Carroll, Iowa Cornfield Airplane Landing