There were more than 400 people on board the Boeing 747-400 that unexpectedly rolled into a left bank in Russian airspace over the Bering Sea, forcing pilots to maneuver to keep the airplane from rolling over and diving into the ocean.   The senior captain on that airplane was John Hanson, who helped maintain control of the plane and fly it while also trying to determine what was wrong with the plane and how to make adjustments. Landing in Russia would not be ideal, and the decision was made to change course to Alaska. Hanson, a Northwest Airlines captain, was recently honored for helping to prevent this potentially catastrophic aircraft accident and saving hundreds of lives Oct. 9, 2002. He was presented with the Superior Airmanship Award by the Air Line Pilots Association, International during the association's annual Air Safety Forum.   Although the situation above the Bering Sea that day could have been a scene out of an action-packed movie, the difference with the actual event was that there was no super hero -- there was teamwork, Hanson said. "Teamwork got us through this thing," Hanson said. "I'll take compliments for the landing, but I'm more proud of being a team leader." Hanson has flown for Northwest Airlines for 35 years and during that time has never experienced a situation in the air that has been so dramatic. "That malfunction -- the manufacturer said it could never happen," Hanson said. "We had no procedure to follow." What the crew found out later was that a mechanical malfunction resulting from equipment blowing apart caused the problems. "Experts in structures have since analyzed the parts -- they can't find the cause," Hanson said. "Obviously, it blew apart." There is no suspicion of foul play, Hanson said, but was rather a "freak deal." Working with Hanson during the ordeal was another captain and two co-captains -- the plane had two sets of pilots since the flight from Detroit to Tokyo was so long. Hanson credits his co-captain with a quick recovery "that probably saved the plane." Hanson was reading in his bunk in a private room for the pilots when the malfunction occurred. "We were in smooth air and suddenly there was a violent shift," he said. There were no windows in the room. Hanson quickly put his uniform on to go assess the situation. When he arrived in the cockpit, the pilots were fighting to control the plane, he said. The cockpit operating manual was open and the pilots were desperately trying to find information on the problem.   Hanson and his co-pilot starting going through the manual as well but they could find no information that pertained to what was happening. An emergency situation was declared and the decision was made to head back to Anchorage. Because of their location, communication with the ground was difficult and contact was made through San Francisco to Minneapolis using what Hanson calls the "old fashioned type of radio." A conference call was held to discuss the problem. "We needed to work as a team and put all our heads together," he said. As senior captain, Hanson decided he should be the pilot who landed the plane, and after discussion with the other pilots he took over the controls. The pilots actually had to take turns handling the plane since managing the controls required strength and stamina because of the malfunction. To counteract the highly technical problem, pilots manually applied pressure to a foot pedal. At this point, the pilots were still not sure about the exact nature of the mechanical failure. "I would have given $1,000 for a rear view mirror to have just looked at the tail," Hanson said. A subsequent National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed that the lower rudder failed in left hard over position at 17 degrees of travel, which was full deflection for their airspeed in cruise flight. It remained fully deflected for the rest of the flight.   The decision was made to fly at a lower altitude where the air is