Piper ditches off BOS; all 9 rescued
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Piper ditches off BOS; all 9 rescued
On May 6, a Piper Navajo experienced sudden loss of power in both engines (fuel pumps or contamination suspected) while flying just after dusk between Nantucket and Beverly (MA). The pilot set the plane down in 5 foot seas several miles east of Logan. All aboard, 4 adults and 5 children, were able to get out safely, the last leaving 20 seconds before the plane sank in 90 feet of water.
The plane's liferaft was inflated and held the youngest children and two women. The two men and the oldest boy clung to the sides of the raft for 30 minutes until all were rescued by the Coast Guard. Sea temperature was about 50 degrees F., and those clinging to the raft were quite weak by the time of rescue. Most were unscathed, although one woman suffered a broken leg, and a young child had minor injuries to her vertebrae.
Apparently, the pilot's family had often practiced emergency procedures which probably helped in producing such a favorable outcome. The pilot had previously experienced a catastrophic engine loss and had crashlanded at Otis Air Force base, so this was the second time around for him.
As one of the rescued said afterward, this was one flight where the phrase "God was my co-pilot" rang true.
(News articles did not indicate why Coast Guard rescue craft arrived on the scene first, rather than boats from Logan Airport, as the airport appears to be closer to the crash site than the Coast Guard station. Although the pilot was in constant contact with ATC, apparently there was no attempt to land at Logan, even though the plane was just several miles east.)
The plane's liferaft was inflated and held the youngest children and two women. The two men and the oldest boy clung to the sides of the raft for 30 minutes until all were rescued by the Coast Guard. Sea temperature was about 50 degrees F., and those clinging to the raft were quite weak by the time of rescue. Most were unscathed, although one woman suffered a broken leg, and a young child had minor injuries to her vertebrae.
Apparently, the pilot's family had often practiced emergency procedures which probably helped in producing such a favorable outcome. The pilot had previously experienced a catastrophic engine loss and had crashlanded at Otis Air Force base, so this was the second time around for him.
As one of the rescued said afterward, this was one flight where the phrase "God was my co-pilot" rang true.
(News articles did not indicate why Coast Guard rescue craft arrived on the scene first, rather than boats from Logan Airport, as the airport appears to be closer to the crash site than the Coast Guard station. Although the pilot was in constant contact with ATC, apparently there was no attempt to land at Logan, even though the plane was just several miles east.)
