John McClane waving his makeshift flares on Runway 29
Runway 29 is one of the runways at Dulles International Airport. Sadistic former Special Forces commander Colonel Stuart used the runway to crash the plane,Windsor 114, in retaliation for the loss of his men at the Annex Skywalk.
Die Hard 2[]
When Colonel Stuart learns that all of his men in the Annex Skywalk we're killed (most of them by John McClane), he had Thompson recalibrate sea level minus 200 feet and reports to Windsor 114, posing as Dulles Tower. He has the plane to land on Runway 29 to allow to fly into the concrete of that runway, since the pilots won't be able to see the runway due the blizzard.
McClane realized in horror that Stuart will crash the plane on the runway and gathers a can of paint thinners, some rags and two pipes in attempt to save it. Once he climbed down from the Annex Skywalk, he went to Runway 29 while pouring paint thinners in the rags that we're tied to the pipes. Once he arrived in the runway, he lit his lighter to light up his makeshift torches and began waving the torches to abort the plane's landing. As the Windsor was about to land, McClane waved the torches even frantically. But the plane overshot the runway and didn't see the torches. McClane then watched helplessly as the plane flew into the runway and started to skid on the concrete. Then the sparks on the Windsor flight on the plane ignited the fuel and the entire fuselage blown up in enormous flames, killing everyone onboard. McClane, distraught by his failure to save the plane, watched on while silently cursing at Stuart for killing all the passengers in that plane. The emergency vehicles responded to the crash and worked to put out the flames, but all the rescue and airport workers knew that all aboard we're killed. The guilt-ridden McClane picks up a charred doll from the wreckage and looks on at with guilt.
TV news reporter Samantha Coleman reports the tragic plane crash on the news and states that runway 29 has been closed due the tragedy.