this is "nightline." >> tonight, flight of horror. >> got a blown engine. >> oh no! >> an engine breaks apart, debris raining from the sky. >> a great big piece just rolled past the front window. >> panicked passengers bracing for the worst. >> i feared for my life, i did. >> now the investigation. what went wrong? >> we felt a big bump, and you immediately knew something was definitely wrong. reclaiming history. how the nation's racial reckoning is changing the way we view the past. >> you're not a descendent of slaves, you're a descendent of survivors. >> a quest to reconnect with celebrities on board. >> i'm standing at the beginning. a hidden pioneer honored at nasa. nasa.

instantly clear every day congestion with vicks sinex saline nasal mist. for drug free relief that works fast. vicks sinex. instantly clear everday congestion. nicorette® knows, quitting smoking is hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey are you kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette®. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette®

♪ thanks for joining us. tonight, passengers on board one terrifying flight recalling what they thought were their final moments. when pieces of the engine began peeling from the aircraft. now the incident prompting a swift investigation to figure out what caused the malfunction

nearly 12,000 feet in the air. here's abc's gio benitez. >> you know, the boom, it was just a big jar. like your body shook with it. >> reporter: a loud bang. chaos. and a prayer. that's what brenda remembers. >> i did scream. people were gasping. why me, why us? >> reporter: the north dakota mom, her husband, and three kids were on a last-minute vacation to hawaii last saturday when one of the engines on united flight 328 broke apart. >> it's got a blown engine! oh no! >> reporter: massive pieces of metal raining down onto neighborhoods below. >> mayday, mayday, united 328, heavy mayday, mayday, aircraft just experienced engine failure, need to turn immediately. >> reporter: the incident raising alarms about what went wrong and leaving americans wondering whether it's safe to fly. >> raining down parts and seeing pictures like that, it's just absolutely amazing. >> this was kind of a

last-minute trip. last-minute idea. >> reporter: the trip was supposed to be a relaxing break for the dohn family. brenda, husband eric, and their kids, 15-year-old daughter cameron, sons 12-year-old eli and 10-year-old jed. >> i'm a bit of a nervous flier. so once we landed in denver, i thought, here we go. >> reporter: flight 328 took off from denver at 12:49 mountain time, bound for honolulu. 231 passengers on board. >> we took off. everything seemed smooth. it seemed like a regular flight. >> reporter: barely 10 minutes later, the plane, still ascending, a terrifying sight. >> we were up near the clouds. that's when that explosion happened. and that's the only way i can describe it. it was just a huge boom. >> reporter: passengers on board filming the terror right outside their window. >> we started dropping down, like you could feel going down in an elevator, it's like a quick drop. plane started shaking. >> all i kept thinking is --

this couldn't be my time. i thought, if this blows up, i want to be remembered. >> reporter: they were in different rows. >> i bent down and grabbed my rosary, put it in my hand, and i grabbed my daughter's hand. and we held on to that rosary together. and i started praying. >> reporter: she says it was motherhood and faith that kept her calm. >> i just saw debris flying at our window. and i decided it would be a good time to shut that window. because i just didn't want her to be more terrified than she already was. my husband had just said, you know, we saw sparks of fire, and almost what looked to be fireballs flying at us. i'm glad i didn't see it. >> reporter: witnesses on the ground say they heard a loud boom then saw wrackage falling from the sky. >> oh my god. >> hang on, we're getting blown up with 911 calls.

>> i'm sure you are. >> debris falling everywhere -- >> reporter: others running to avoid being hit by plane parts. this giant piece part of the engine casing falling on kirby clemens' lawn. his house was spared but his truck was crushed. >> my wife and i were sitting in the living room, looked at each other, what was that? looked out the front window and this great big piece just rolled past the front window, laying up against the tree. >> reporter: the debris field at least a mile wide. those enormous pieces now evidence turned over to the ntsb. >> the whole sky was just covered with that -- falling down like ash from a fire or something. >> reporter: the pilots turned the plane around. >> feel like there's a little black cloud of smoke -- >> reporter: an agonizing 20 minutes before making an emergency landing back at the conference airport. >> everyone on the plane cheered and clapped. >> the landing was rougher than normal, but no different than if you had been in bad wind or whatnot. landed very good. >> i was lucky enough to talk to

the pilot. while we were waiting to get off. i just had asked him, have you ever experienced anything like this before? he right away said no. >> reporter: now the first clues into what may have gone wrong. the ntsb saying it saw evidence of metal fatigue in one of the fan blades. here you can clearly see a broken blade. you're a former ntsb investigator. what are the key questions that need to be answered here about this incident? >> the question is, was the fatigue crack just due to pure time in service? or was it a fatigue crack due to some flaw that was there, either during the manufacturing or somehow damage that occurred later in its service history? >> when ntsb talks about fatigue cracks, it's just that, cracks that develop from too much use. these engines should last longer, but they seem to be breaking in ways that weren't anticipated when they were first built. >> reporter: the engine, manufactured by pratt and

whitney, was an older model not used in newer planes. but dozens of 777 planes still use the engine, and they've now been grounded. faa ordering inspection of these fan blades before the planes can get back in the air. >> fatigue crack that is occur in older engines are not easy to detect. you can't see them with the naked eye. it requires very sophisticated testing techniques. >> reporter: the extent of the damage to the plane seen in these images from ntsb, a gaping hole in the fuselage created by debris from the engine. debris that fortunately missed the fuel tank. >> the danger of an uncontained failure is when it throws hot, heavy metal outside of that engine casing and punctures the side of the airplane, which we saw here, which we saw in the southwest mishap. >> reporter: that incident in 2018 killed a mom from new mexico. >> the number one engine failure. >> reporter: southwest flight 1380 took off out of new york's laguardia airport headed for dallas. about 25 minutes into the

flight, with the plane at 32,000 feet over pennsylvania, the left engine exploded. >> everybody breathe, relax! >> reporter: sitting in the 14th row, right next to the window, jennifer ryerton, on her way home from a business trip. >> she's -- had a very warm smile. i wish i'd talked with her more. >> paula mackay was in the aisle seat. a broken fan blade caused that explosion. debris shattered the window and air pressure sucked her partly out the window. >> i put my hand on jennifer's back, so if she was conscious or could feel anything, she would at least know we were there. if i ever had a conversation with her family, i would want to be able to tell them that she wasn't alone. >> reporter: pilots tammy jo schultz and darren ellisore credited with managing the emergency landing in philadelphia. >> we did what we were trained for. people in the back of the plane were heroic. >> they paid for a seat in the

back to relax. and they were up and at it to help. >> it's always stirring when you see heroics in other people. >> reporter: within days the faa ordered emergency inspections of the fan blades on those engines made by another company, cfm. >> i don't have to tell you, people already have fears about flying during the pandemic. this doesn't help, does it? >> an incident like this, it makes it even more nervousing. well, maybe she drive. however, i can tell you it's a lot safer to fly than to drive. >> reporter: the last deadly commercial airplane crash in the u.s. was in 2009. >> we got off the plane and we had to walk down some stairs. we did take a picture. it was just something we'll never go through again in our lives. >> reporter: after the emergency landing back in denver, the dohn family made the choice to continue on with their vacation, hopping on another hawaii-bound flight just three hours later. >> so it was kind of like,

well -- you get bucked off the horse, you've got to get back on. >> reporter: the shock only wearing off once they landed. >> i had a really rough time sleeping that first night. it seemed like every time i shut my eyes, i kind of could feel that plane accelerating. i could kind of feel those jumps. i was glad to be in hawaii, because i really think it would have been very difficult to get on the plane the next day. >> reporter: brenda, her husband, and the kids say they refuse to be scared. >> we've got a wild group of kiddos. they're always willing for the next adrenaline rush. we're already talking about coming back next year. we're not going to stop from flying. >> our thanks to gio. coming up next, the descendents of slaves looking to a painful past to help inspire healing in the future. ♪ ♪ now here we go ♪ ♪ i can't help it if i'm poppin' see them watch like ♪ ♪ who that girl ♪

♪ it's outrageous how this flavour got em shook like ♪ ♪ hold up ♪ ♪ work work work it out ♪ ♪ ah ha ♪ ♪ i hit it back with a brand new style ♪ ♪ like woah ♪ ♪ bring it up into the fold get wild ♪ ♪ we turning up all the way on the dial ♪ ♪ like woah ♪ ♪ baby i'm fabulous so come on ♪ limitless possibilities. the boldly new 2021 nissan kicks. ♪ the boldly new 2021 nissan kicks. just between us, cleaning with a mop and bucket is such a hassle. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering think you're managing your moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease? i did. until i realized something was missing...me.

my symptoms were keeping me from being there for him. so, i talked to my doctor and learned... humira is for people who still have uc or crohn's symptoms after trying other medications. and humira helps people achieve remission that can last, so you can experience few or no symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.

so you went to ross to refresh your look for less? and snag top brands for prices that have you, like "oooh yeah"! styles that take you here or here or even right there. slip into the best bargains ever... at ross. yes for less! visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. slip into the best bargains ever... at ross. but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends.

you know when you're at ross and find just what you need... to make any space your space? (sighs) yes! that's yes for less. get the best bargains ever for every room and every budget.

at ross. yes for less. ♪ our country's dark past with slavery traces its roots overseas. now the trip back by african-americans to visit a historic landmark in begghana we evil was its past and hope is its future. here my "nightline" coanchor byron pitts who's been following this story since before the pandemic and throughout. >> reporter: cape coast with atlantic vast waters near the shore of ghana. this castle hosts a history that belies its beauty. >> even though you may not know the village you come from, the family you come from, this is one of the last places our ancestors touched before leaving these shores. >> reporter: the door of no return, where millions of

africans were forced into slave ships bounce fs bound for the u states. >> it brought me to tears. you can literally feel yourselves standing on the backs of your ancestors. "standing on the back of the people who came before you." that's literally now. >> i want to know the people in the culture, i want to know what culture was taken from me. >> reporter: descendents of slaves come here to reconnect with their ancestors, a full-circle moment centuries in the making. rabbi cohain moved to ghana from new york and now gives doors. >> that's why they say it's the door of no return. they believed at that time if they erased all those things from us, we'd never find our way back home. but look at the resilience of the african spirit, look at who you and i are, that we made our way back home. >> reporter: in this moment of reckoning when african-americans are setting out to reclaim what they've been historically denied, for some to be able to

fully move forward requires a look back. >> a lot of the issues we're dealing with as african-americans are embedded in this sort of generational disconnect. the trauma, the terror of being stripped of your rights, your identity, your culture. and to be the first in your family to rediscover that, we connect with that ancestry, and be empowered by it, gives you a whole new perspective on yourself and your life. when you walk the paths of the dungeons at these slave castles, you realize that that moment that you're not a descendent of slaves, but you're a descendent of survivors. >> reporter: for actor boris cojo, returning to africa started as a personal pilgrimage. he was born in vienna ghanan mother and austrian

father. >> i know the heritage, it fills you with a sense of identity, a sense of culture, heritage, defining who i am based on whose shoulders i'm standing on. >> i'm going to let you in on a secret. >> reporter: the "station 19" heartthrob known for fox's "the last man on earth." >> carol is a special lady. >> so you're the attorney i'm supposed to hire? >> reporter: and the film "brown sugar." >> you could be my mentor. >> reporter: cojo cofounded the full circle festival in 2018 to encourage the black diaspora to reconnect, and for those descended from the enslaved to visit and invest in africa. organizing trips for other black hollywood stars to discover their roots, capturing them on film, including "black-ish" anthony anderson. >> everything has a beginning, everything has an end. you know? i'm standing at the beginning. >> coming back in from the door of no return and returning, both times i just felt better. there's always people who greet

you on the other side. and it's just been like that this whole time of just this really -- this intense, emotional roller coaster that is worth the journey every time. >> reporter: for cojo, this mission is about much more than a festival. it's about telling the truth about our history. lingering emotional and economic effects of colonialism. >> so there is this disparity that has been, you know, carried from one generation to the next over hundreds and hundreds of years. you know, the goal is to first acknowledge our history and realize that this generational wealth didn't just appear, but it was systemically prepared, and there were mechanisms put in place to ensure that certain people were at an advantage and others weren't. and that there's action items, there's actually certain steps we can undertake collectively to reduce that wealth gap and to make things right.

>> together on both sides of the atlantic, we will work together to make sure that never again will we allow a handful of people with superior technology to walk into africa, seize our peoples, and sell them into slavery. >> reporter: to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the transatlantic slave trade, ghana's president encouraged descendents to visit, dubbing 2019 the rear of return. nearly a million tourists came to the country that year, most of them from the united states, raising hopes for a decade of growth in tourism. >> we're seeing increase in interest in things like ancestry tests, connections, finding ancestral homelands, things like that. all these things are connected, particularly as african-americans essentially come to terms with the failures of american institutions, while also seeking a sense of pride in

their ancestry, in their dna, in their origins. ♪ >> we are so glad to be back home in ghana where our great, great, great ancestors are from. i came all the way from new york, 5,117 miles. >> i feel immediate connection to the land. so i'm just -- i'm ready to see what else the land has to offer. >> so our ancestors believed, if you walk barefoot, you connected all the time with its strength and its power. >> reporter: though the pandemic has slowed down trips, now more and more black americans are engaging with their history. >> today you're going to be blessed. >> africa's on the rise. african people are also ascenting. >> it was always my dream to come to africa. to finally be able to come over here, it's a dream come true. it's kind of overwhelming, very elating.

>> our thanks to byron. up next, the barrier-breaking engineer hidden no more. psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen, painful. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options. we do it every night. like clockwork. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. do it! run your dishwasher with cascade platinum. and save water. did you know certified dishwashers... ...use less than four gallons per cycle, while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. so, do it with cascade. the surprising way to save water. nicorette® knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or...

quit cold turkey are you kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette®. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette® want to brain better? unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. ♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes your stomach for fast relief and get the same fast relief in a delightful chew with pepto bismol chews.

when you've got a business, you don't want to worry about slow internet or confusing cybersecurity. so get comcast business internet on the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses, and add the advanced security of comcast business securityedge. it's the speed you need with threat protection, plus 24/7 support. get fast internet and advanced security—made simple. and bounce forward— with comcast business. get started with a great offer, and ask how you can add comcast business securityedge. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today.

♪

finally tonight, honoring a star. mary w. jackson broke barriers at nasa as the agency's first black female engineer during the time of segregation. >> liftoff! >> jackson helping america win the space race. her struggle portrayed in the film "hidden figures." >> i can't change the color of my skin. so i have no choice but to be the first. >> while today nasa's celebrating the pioneer by remaiming its d.c. headquarters after jackson. friends and family remembering her with pride. >> my grandmother was an amazing woman. she paved the way for so many without us even knowing. >> godspeed, ms. jackson. that's "nightline." you can watch all our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time next week.

thanks for staying up with us. good night, america, and have a great weekend.