Plane ditch to the Channel today around 1400 UTC
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Plane down off Dungeness Point - pilot reported safe
Light aircraft ditched at approx 1500BST after reporting engine trouble. Pilot recovered safe by passing ships.
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Kent | Aircraft pilot rescued from sea
and Pilot rescued after Channel ditch - Yahoo! News UK
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Kent | Aircraft pilot rescued from sea
and Pilot rescued after Channel ditch - Yahoo! News UK
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Plane ditch to the Channel today around 1400 UTC
Hi,
Does anyone know anything about a plane ditched into the Channel today around 1400 UTC? I wasn't working, but out sailing and heard the UK CG on channel 16 talking to a rescue vessel, telling them a plane had ditched and there were casualties... Any details, anyone?
Hope they fished them out and they're all safe...
Does anyone know anything about a plane ditched into the Channel today around 1400 UTC? I wasn't working, but out sailing and heard the UK CG on channel 16 talking to a rescue vessel, telling them a plane had ditched and there were casualties... Any details, anyone?
Hope they fished them out and they're all safe...
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Source Press Department / Belgian Ministry of Defence
A Belgian Seaking has transported a pilot, who ditched in the North Sea on Sunday afternoon, to a hospital in Ashford on request of Great Britain.
The pilot of the small aircraft without passengers made an emergency landing in the North Sea between France and Great Britain around 17:12 CET. The pilot was rescued by a passing ship.
No information is currently available about the man's situation.
A Belgian Seaking has transported a pilot, who ditched in the North Sea on Sunday afternoon, to a hospital in Ashford on request of Great Britain.
The pilot of the small aircraft without passengers made an emergency landing in the North Sea between France and Great Britain around 17:12 CET. The pilot was rescued by a passing ship.
No information is currently available about the man's situation.
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From what I understand this aftertnoon the pilot put a mayday out with engine proble 9miles southeast of Lydd
The aircraft was a British registered PIPER PA-32RT-300T.
With the conditions today must have helped the pilot make a good job of ditching the aircraft and then being rescued in a short space of time.
If this had happened between the Isle of White and the Cherbourg penisular the story might have be a little differant the rescue might have taken longer.
Compliments to all in the rescue.
The aircraft was a British registered PIPER PA-32RT-300T.
With the conditions today must have helped the pilot make a good job of ditching the aircraft and then being rescued in a short space of time.
If this had happened between the Isle of White and the Cherbourg penisular the story might have be a little differant the rescue might have taken longer.
Compliments to all in the rescue.
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Pleased to hear he got out ok.
I was getting ready to leave Manston for Popham when the rescue aircraft was called. The chaps at Manston were out to their a/c and gone very quickly. I hope the emergency services are as efficient if I am ever unfortunate enough to need them...
Steve
I was getting ready to leave Manston for Popham when the rescue aircraft was called. The chaps at Manston were out to their a/c and gone very quickly. I hope the emergency services are as efficient if I am ever unfortunate enough to need them...
Steve
Pompey till I die
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I wonder
I wonder how long the pilot was in the water for, and whether he had a life raft. Whilst I carry a life raft across water I've never even opened the bag to look inside. Which is pretty worrying that my first attempt to inflate it will be on a wing tip.
With mild hypethermia, I wonder how long he was bobbing around in the sea ? It's certainly very warm at the moment, no idea how warm the sea is.
A timely reminder to us all...
With mild hypethermia, I wonder how long he was bobbing around in the sea ? It's certainly very warm at the moment, no idea how warm the sea is.
A timely reminder to us all...
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It appears he did not have a raft, but I am sure he will clarify.
I would never fly over water without a raft, and I send mine to SEMS every 2-3 years to be overhauled.
They advise me that raft failures are extremely rare - below 1% chance I gather. However this assumes that it has not been messed with. I once lent mine to a school (for a fly-out to France; they did not even have enough life jackets to go round) and when it came back it was obvious it has been opened, so I had to have it overhauled right away. It's like somebody messing with your parachute, to see what is inside the bag..
I must confess that I often fly across the Channel without wearing a life jacket (they live in a bag in the back) but always have the raft handy. This is probably slightly stupid, but on the airways crossing from DVR to Belgium, say FL150, one is out of glide range for only minutes. However, doing a VFR flight (limited to FL065 or so) to say Caan is something else!
The vast majority of pilots do not have a raft - the cost of ~ £1200 seems too much. But in a jacket, hypothermia will get you within a few hours in the summer, and quicker in the winter.
I would never fly over water without a raft, and I send mine to SEMS every 2-3 years to be overhauled.
They advise me that raft failures are extremely rare - below 1% chance I gather. However this assumes that it has not been messed with. I once lent mine to a school (for a fly-out to France; they did not even have enough life jackets to go round) and when it came back it was obvious it has been opened, so I had to have it overhauled right away. It's like somebody messing with your parachute, to see what is inside the bag..
I must confess that I often fly across the Channel without wearing a life jacket (they live in a bag in the back) but always have the raft handy. This is probably slightly stupid, but on the airways crossing from DVR to Belgium, say FL150, one is out of glide range for only minutes. However, doing a VFR flight (limited to FL065 or so) to say Caan is something else!
The vast majority of pilots do not have a raft - the cost of ~ £1200 seems too much. But in a jacket, hypothermia will get you within a few hours in the summer, and quicker in the winter.
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IO540:
A raft but no jacket assumes you will be able to step off the wing into the raft. I'd venture that is a risky assumption. If you get the raft in the water but then you have to go in the water too, even in quite mild sea temps you will lose the ability to use your fingers very quickly, such that pulling yourself up the ladder into the raft may well be impossible. Then you'll die of hypothermia - or drown - looking up at a nice dry inflated raft. The answer is a survival suit with gloves. I bought four for £25 each last week. None have ever been used, only ever came out of their bags for annual servicing. Not the most brilliantly comfortable apparel in the cockpit but it certainly calms the nerves on sea crossings.
Well done the Lance guy for a successful ditching. He's in the lucky 50%. Good for the SAR boys too.
NS
The vast majority of pilots do not have a raft - the cost of ~ £1200 seems too much. But in a jacket, hypothermia will get you within a few hours in the summer, and quicker in the winter.
Well done the Lance guy for a successful ditching. He's in the lucky 50%. Good for the SAR boys too.
NS
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A raft but no jacket assumes you will be able to step off the wing into the raft
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I feel a false sense of safety is worse than no safety at all, so please do get some proper training on how to use your gear. This could be a nice course for AOPA, PPL-IR, and similar associations to run, actually.
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And a raft, a survival suit, a jacket (for good measure), and no training means you might as well leave it all in the hangar, it's going to be that much use.
A raft, a survival suit and / or jacket is much better than nothing, training aside. With the jacket, as long as you inflate it before you leave the aircraft at least you should float. I am not sure how much training that takes.
With a dry suite as long as you close the zip before you ditch you should float and keep warm for much longer. Not a lot of training there.
I agree there is a technique to getting into a raft but I guess most people will try and get in from the wing - at least there is a chance of doing so - not much training there either.
Why do we have to complicate everything?
Yes, the training is worthwhile but dont ignore basic measures to improve your chances just because you havent spent a few hours in the tank in Portsmouth
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Originally Posted by Fuji Abound
With the jacket, as long as you inflate it before you leave the aircraft at least you should float.
I fully agree with the remainder of your points, though. Training helps and should be encouraged, but not taking training probably won't kill you, whereas not having the kit at all might well. Taking the time to become familiar with the necessary actions is obviously worthwhile, too.
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not taking training probably won't kill you
Originally Posted by Fuji Abound
With the jacket, as long as you inflate it before you leave the aircraft at least you should float.
With the jacket, as long as you inflate it before you leave the aircraft at least you should float.
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LH2 - if you like 
DaveW - yes, sorry for the typo, of course I meant dont.
So just to recap, the lack of equipment will almost certainly kill you, but the lack of training in how to use it might diminish its value.
DaveW - yes, sorry for the typo, of course I meant dont.
So just to recap, the lack of equipment will almost certainly kill you, but the lack of training in how to use it might diminish its value.
