TriStarのブログ一覧

Emergency Landing in Sturgeon Bay Considered a Miracle
Apr 04, 2012 12:58 PM　WBAY

Sturgeon Bay, WI -
An emergency landing at Door County's Cherryland Airport is something people around the country are talking about.

The 81-year-old pilot of a twin-engine Cessna, John Collins of Sturgeon Bay, went unconscious Monday night after suffering a medical emergency.

His 80-year-old wife, Helen Collins, who is not a certified pilot, was forced to take control of the plane while her husband was dying in the seat next to her.

Helen Collins brought the plane down to the runway just after six last night, but she didn't do it alone.

To assist with the emergency landing, airport officials called two certified pilots to help Collins bring the plane down.

Catherine Vuksanovic, a seasoned flight instructor, communicated with her via radio from the ground.

She says Helen was ready to take control of the situation.

"I said 'Hi, Helen, this is Cathy. How are you doing?' 'Well I'm doing ok,' she said, but she said, 'I've got three people talking to me at once, and I can only talk to one person at a time.'"

That one person became Catherine's husband, Robert Vuksanovic, a pilot with 28,000 hours of flight experience, who coached Helen Collins from the air.

"She was confident, she wanted to know if I was confident in her confidence, and I said, 'Well if you're confident, I think we're confident, I think we can do this," Robert explains.

Robert Vuksanovic flew next to Collins, helping her align the plane with the runway.

He says the biggest challenge in landing is pointing the nose of the plane up. Fortunately, this was a technique Helen learned from her husband.

"I think, if you will, just through osmosis, just living together and flying together, they flew a lot," explains Robert.

Helen Collins was taken to an area hospital after the incident. She has since been released without injuries.

Her husband, John Collins, was pronounced dead at the scene due to his medical condition.

【米国】８０歳女性が飛行機の緊急着陸に成功　夫が操縦中に意識を失い、管制官の指示受け

Aircraft N53WT Profile　-　Airport-Data.com

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 144770　-　Aviation Safety Network

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

　80歳のおばあちゃん、やるなぁ (*^ーﾟ)b Good job♪　いくら周囲の支援があったからって、無免許で双発機を無事に降ろしたんだから（凄　旦那さん亡くしているから「無事降りておめでとう」とは言えないけど。
　「旦那が急死した」ってだけでも気が動転する事態なのに、空の上で、自分は操縦資格がない（以前、操縦した経験はあるらしいが）。よく落ち着いて対処できたものだ。彼女自身も気を失いかねない極限状態だもんな。

　昔、『エアポート '75』って映画があったけど（Airport 1975 Trailer／Airport 75 Tribute/Trailer）、まるで映画のような本当の話（事故）でした。

　ハワイで「軽飛行機の操縦体験」ができるらしいね♪（← これ使用機材 Piper PA-28 Cherokee）
　つべには“この手”の動画がたくさん上がってるけど、小学生がセスナ・スカイホーク操縦した画もあるな（驚

　「今年はやはり遅れているのだろうな…」と思いつつ眺めていた近所の“花桃”。

　今日の仕事帰り、咲いていることに気付き、携帯で撮ってきた。

　過去ブログで調べてみたら…
　2007年は３月17日、2008年は３月28日に、それぞれ写真の状態に。

　やっぱり今年は春が遅いんだなぁ。

　偏西風が妙な蛇行をしてくれているお陰で、日本海に寒気が入り、昨日の“爆弾低気圧”だもんな… (-_-;