An Airline Pilot Called Me An ‘SOB’ During A Fiery Landing
A Delta Air Lines flight from Savannah to Atlanta experienced a left-engine mechanical issue, prompting the pilots to abort takeoff and return to Hilton Head Island. Air traffic control bluntly noted the danger,mentioning a large flame on takeoff and that the engine blow had set grass on the airport’s left side on fire. the takeoff was followed by a safe, slow climb in windy conditions as the crew returned to the airport, and passengers grew anxious during the early moments. On landing, visible flames along the runway’s left side and the subsequent fire response made the episode more dramatic than expected, though the landing itself was smooth; the airplane was towed back to the gate and the passengers were rebooked. The crew, especially Captain Evans Boeve and his first officer, were praised for professionalism, reinforcing the author’s view of Delta as a top airline. Later, the author learns the captain had called him an SOB, and discovers that SOB stands for “souls on board,” a maritime-origin aviation term used to convey the number of people on board during emergencies. The piece weaves personal reflections on faith,situational awareness,and gratitude for surviving together with his wife,and it closes with the author’s note about the incident and his broader aviation experience.
I was on the flight from Savannah, Georgia, to Atlanta that experienced, according to Delta Air Lines, “a mechanical issue with the aircraft’s left engine.”
However, I liked how the air traffic controller in the tower put it more bluntly, “Is everything okay, I saw a pretty large flame on takeoff… [and] when your engine blew it set the whole grass on the left side of the airport on fire.”
When our engine blew, we all heard a loud and high-pitched pop followed by a gentle lift-off and an eerie silence. I know what a normal take-off is like and our pilots were clearly executing a safe and slow climb in windy conditions as they turned Flight 1067 back toward Hilton Head Island to return to the airport.
It was in the first minute or two when the passengers, including me, were most nervous. My wife comforted the lady next to her, who was clutching her hands to her heart in fear. A pilot from another airline sitting behind us got up to inspect the engine out the window.
After Landing
While the landing was smooth, it was more dramatic than anyone thought it would be because our engine had spread thin lines of flaming grass down a long stretch on the left side of the runway. The captain warned us about the fire we had set and said it was “normal” in situations like this, but if you’ve seen the video I and other passengers posted, it was like something out of a movie.
The rest of the experience was what you might expect. The passengers busily AirDropped videos to each other. The captain came out of the cockpit and explained what had happened before receiving a huge round of applause. The fire fighters inspected our airplane. And the ground crew towed us back to the gate, where we were rebooked on other flights. Captain Evans Boeve and his crew were professional and polished. A testament to why Delta is consistently rated as the best airline in the United States.
Headcount
However, it wasn’t until two days later that I found out the captain had called me an S.O.B. A friend shared the recording of the captain and tower with me on social media and jokingly asked, “Did you hear the pilot call you an SOB?”
So, not believing he meant to insult my mother, I did what everyone does in situations like this in 2026 and asked Grok: “What does SOB mean in aviation emergencies and what is its history?”
In aviation emergencies, SOB is an abbreviation for “souls on board,” which refers to the total number of people aboard an aircraft, including both passengers and crew members. This term is communicated to air traffic control (ATC) during distress situations to provide rescuers with an accurate headcount.
The term “souls on board” has its roots in maritime tradition, dating back to at least the mid-18th century, when “souls” was used to count people on ships due to the high risks of sea travel and the association of lost lives with “lost souls.” Early aviation adopted many nautical conventions, including this phrasing, as flying borrowed heavily from seafaring practices.
I find this tradition beautiful as I know there were a lot of passengers on Delta Flight 1067 praying for Captain Boeve and his first officer. In fact, I once confessed to a Delta pilot that I pray before every flight and I asked him, “What would you like me to pray for?” And he answered quickly, “situational awareness.”
Image CreditThe author, his wife, the captain, and his first officer. Credit: Author.
The dictionary on my Apple MacBook describes a “soul” as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being.” In this emergency, I am grateful that Delta’s Captain Boeve referred to me as a spiritual being. As my dictionary explained in its usage example, “Death is just one step in a soul’s journey through the universe.” Amen, Apple!
And thank you Delta for acknowledging that I am indeed an SOB.
Beyond my own faith, this term has special meaning for me because my older brother Stuart died in an aviation crash more than 20 years ago while flying his gyroplane to drop candy to children gathered outside a local church for a celebration.
The obituary I wrote was dreadfully edited by the funeral home and other family members to delete this opening line from Sir Elton John that everyone who rockets into the sky is indeed an eternal soul:
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And in that brief moment Sunday night right after the engine blew, the one thing I was grateful for more than anything else was that my wife Tanya was sitting next to me. After she comforted the passenger next to her, she turned to me with a smile and said, “Well, if we are going to go, I’m glad we are going together — and the kids will be fine.”
I smiled back and took her hand.
We knew what our Delta captain knew. We were “Souls On Board” and our flight would continue.
This article has been updated since publication.
Geoff Thatcher has flown more than 3 million miles on Delta designing theme parks, museums, and brand experiences around the world.
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