Mon, Nov 17, 2003
It Paid Off! Retired USCG Pilot Alive
"He's in wonderful condition."
That's how USCG Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson rates pilot
William Swears, whose single-engine airplane was forced down about
94 miles off the coast of Maui Saturday. An all-out search effort
was launched after Swears reported his Cozy Canard Pusher (file
photo of aircraft type, below) suffered engine trouble about 9pm
local time. He then apparently lost a great deal of altitude in a
very short period of time. Two ANG F-15s, a Coast Guard C-130 and
an HH-65 Dolphin were dispatched to his last known location.
"I don't know if he crashed," said USCG Petty Officer Brooksann
Anderson, "but it was a sharp enough drop in altitude to get us all
out there."
That kind of thinking paid off. The F-15s reported seeing an oil
slick. More importantly, they picked up his EPRIB (emergency
positioning indicating radio beacon) signal. Rescue crews quickly
zeroed in.
Turns out Swears is a retired USCG pilot. He used to fly the
HH-65 -- the aircraft that rescued him at around 12:30am Sunday
morning. Swears had been stationed at Barbers Point Air
Station.
** Report created 11/17/2003 Record 11 **
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 534S Make/Model: COZ Description: COZY LONG EZ
Date: 11/16/2003 Time: 0720
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: MAUI State: HI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT REPORTED ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE AND LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE AND
DITCHED INTO THE OCEAN, PILOT WAS RESCUED, AIRCRAFT WAS
DESTROYED, 100 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF MAUI, HI
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: # Pass: 0 Fat: 0
Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: METAR 0652Z OGG 050011KTS 10SM FEW031 BKN050 24/19
3012
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Cruise Operation: General
Aviation
Departed: HONOLULU, HI Dep Date: 11/16/2003 Dep. Time:
0351
Destination: NOVATO, CA Flt Plan: IFR Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNK Last Clearance: UNK
FAA FSDO: HONOLULU, HI (WP13) Entry date: 11/17/2003
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