Remembering ValuJet flight 592: A reporter’s reflection 30 years later

MIAMI, Fla. (WINK) — On May 11, 1996, a routine Saturday afternoon flight turned into one of the most harrowing tragedies in aviation history. 

ValuJet Flight 592, a DC-9 commercial jet bound for Atlanta, vanished from radar just minutes after departing Miami International Airport.

The final communications from the cockpit were chilling. "Smoke in the cockpit, smoke in the cabin," the pilot reported, requesting the closest airport available. But the aircraft never made it back.

The plane struck the Everglades at over 400 miles per hour, disappearing almost entirely beneath the surface of the swampy muck. 

The crash claimed the lives of all 110 people on board, leaving an indelible mark on the families of the victims and the first responders who arrived at the scene.

A Reporter's Perspective

Jack Fink, now a prominent political reporter for CBS News in Texas, was a journalist for WINK News at the time. 

With limited staff available over the weekend, Fink and his photographer hitched a ride in a private helicopter to reach the crash site.

"There was no evidence that a plane had gone down," Fink recalled, describing the initial shock of seeing the undisturbed swamp. "It was shocking to us."

The following day, Fink took to the water to document the brutal reality of the recovery efforts. 

Debris was scattered throughout the marsh, and workers in gas masks navigated the thick mud to recover what remained of the aircraft and its passengers.

An Enduring Legacy

For Fink, the tragedy isn't just a career milestone—it's a memory that haunts him.

"For every reporter, they have stories that always stick with them," Fink said. "And for me, this is one of them."

Currently, Fink covers the high-stakes world of Texas politics, interviewing national figures and reporting on historical shifts in government. 

Yet, his mind often drifts back to the Everglades in 1996, remembering the "real people, each with their own lives cut too short," and the families whose lives were changed forever by Flight 592.