The Final Flight of Duke 27

Thirteen Years Ago Today, my brother died. Today, my family remembers.

The lights of Mannheim blink to the southwest as dusk falls forward of the cockpit.

The city approaches fast while the helicopter snakes 160 miles an hour at 3000 feet over the autobahn dividing the sleepy German hamlets of Viernheim and Lorsch.

The four rotors of the helicopter cant forward at a slight angle, whipping through the icy early February sky…