New York Post - A passenger onboard a small plane leaped into action
and crash-landed the small aircraft on Martha’s Vineyard Saturday after the pilot passed out behind the controls. The female passenger took over the controls of the 2006 Piper Meridian when the 79-year-old male pilot suffered a medical emergency upon final approach in a terrifying moment, Massachusetts State Police said.
The woman landed the plane in a grassy area near a runway at the island’s airport at about 3:15 p.m. — but the impact of the “hard landing” caused the left wing to break in half. The pilot was medevacked to Boston Hospital in life-threatening condition, while the woman was unharmed. She was evaluated at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and released.
That will be a big insurance payout. The M-350 go for about $1.5 million. The M-500 jumps a million to $2.5M and they go up if there has been any upgrades. I got checked out in one of the early M-310 in the early 80's when I got the fuel-only rental discount from my uncle that was a flight instructor. It was one of the easiest flying and landing tricycle gear planes I had flown with my limited experience.
ReplyDeleteA single engine, cabin class plane....even if inefficient, it's nice to have an extra engine still turning on a heavy airplane....well done on the landing....anyone you walk away from being a good one....
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