Northeast 140 was heading from Los Angeles to Washington DC at Dulles International Airport. The plane was carrying John McClane's wife Holly McClane and arrogant reporter Richard Thornburg They we're late for landing due the winter storm front in the area in Dulles. Suddenly, Trudeau, chief of Dulles air operations, informs the flight and the other flights in Dulles airspace that they experiencing problems with landing lights as well as the instrument landing systems and tells them to proceed at the outer marker, not revealing to them about a group of terrorists, led by Colonel Stuart, taking over the airport's systems.