Some April Fools Joke!
Lots of things go through you mind when you hear news like this. I was immediately thankful that Bill and the pilot were safe and got the prayer chain started from our church. Then I got busy notifying family.
Bill and Brian, the pilot, were heading back to Bethel with an empty plane when the engine quit. Bill was impressed with the amount of glide time that allowed them to scope out the area before landing on a wind-swept lake.
Within 15 minutes Hageland had a plane scouting the area and within hours the Air National Guard was trying to make a helicopter landing to pick the guys up. Unfortunately, that’s when a blizzard decided to come through. The Hageland plane checking on them dropped warm sleeping bags, gear,food, and headed back to Bethel.
The guys put the seats back in the Caravan and prepared to hunker down for the night. Here’s the article from the Anchorage Daily News yesterday.
http://www.adn.com/western_alaska/story/745107.html
About three am this morning four snow machiners from the Chevak Rescue Squad, (a village 50 miles away), travelled the two hours to the plane and loaded the two up. It took the group another chilly two hours to return. Bill arrived safely in Chevak this morning about 6:00 am. None the worse for wear in his opinion. Bill said the community center was set up with a couple of computers and a map with the forced landing site marked. He was impressed with their rescue operation.
The only time he got to worrying was when they were waiting it out in the plane and Brian started talking about the movie Alive! 🙂
We’re all glad things turned out as well as they did! Check out the photos!
Plane from a distance
Brian the pilot.
Another angle of the Caravan
Here lies the problem! Nose gear.