Plane Crash in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Teaching here in the Departmento de Aviacion Civil gives us a unique, radar-side view of air traffic here in Latin America. Last night, a plane crashed here and it gives you a unique perspective.
The story goes that a student pilot in a Cessna 150 was doing some training maneuvers. She did some touch-and-goes… a maneuver where you come in as if to land, but when your wheels touch you hit the throttle and take off again. It’s good practice for inexperienced pilots to work on their landings.
Well any way, she’d been flying for four hours. Four hours. Now, for those with aviation experience lower your eyebrows. I’ll explain to the non-aviation experienced folk out there that four hours is a desperately long time for a small Cessna 150 to be flying… especially if you are doing something as fuel guzzling as touch-and-goes.
Well, sure enough, she comes in on her final approach, has just been turned over to the Guayaquil Control Tower for final landing, when she disappears from radar screens. No radio transmission, no hint of problems. She’s just gone.
Well the Tower Controller is alert and immediately reacts, and in seconds planes are being diverted and rescue crews alerted. It soon is discovered that her engine stalled on final approach… no fuel… and she nose-dived down into the Guayas River. She did have enough time and control to make it a relatively easy landing and shortly she is fished out of the muddy water by rescue crews.
Yeah team!
Several of the controllers on duty were our students and they spent a lot of time flipping back and forth speaking English and Spanish to a wide range of pilots and emergency agencies and they seemingly did it flawlessly. It looks like our English classes down here are helping out. It makes you feel good to know you are making a difference to people.
The story goes that a student pilot in a Cessna 150 was doing some training maneuvers. She did some touch-and-goes… a maneuver where you come in as if to land, but when your wheels touch you hit the throttle and take off again. It’s good practice for inexperienced pilots to work on their landings.
Well any way, she’d been flying for four hours. Four hours. Now, for those with aviation experience lower your eyebrows. I’ll explain to the non-aviation experienced folk out there that four hours is a desperately long time for a small Cessna 150 to be flying… especially if you are doing something as fuel guzzling as touch-and-goes.
Well, sure enough, she comes in on her final approach, has just been turned over to the Guayaquil Control Tower for final landing, when she disappears from radar screens. No radio transmission, no hint of problems. She’s just gone.
Well the Tower Controller is alert and immediately reacts, and in seconds planes are being diverted and rescue crews alerted. It soon is discovered that her engine stalled on final approach… no fuel… and she nose-dived down into the Guayas River. She did have enough time and control to make it a relatively easy landing and shortly she is fished out of the muddy water by rescue crews.
Yeah team!
Several of the controllers on duty were our students and they spent a lot of time flipping back and forth speaking English and Spanish to a wide range of pilots and emergency agencies and they seemingly did it flawlessly. It looks like our English classes down here are helping out. It makes you feel good to know you are making a difference to people.
posted by Unknown at 12:54 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home