Detainees, Officers Onboard Rescued By Dive Boat

"You train for something like this, but you never think you'll have to do it," pilot Gary Schmidt said Tuesday afternoon, shortly before a press conference to describe the harrowing ordeal he and six other people onboard a Virgin Islands Justice Department Piper Navajo experienced just hours before.

Schmidt was flying four juvenile detainees and two corrections officers from St. Croix to St. Thomas Tuesday morning, when the twin's engines suddenly cut out. As he called Mayday to control towers in San Juan and St. Thomas, he set up best glide speed and made a fairly controlled water landing at about 90 mph.

"I just tried to keep the airplane flying and it didn't want to, so I had to put it in the water," Schmidt said. "I just wanted to make sure it didn't capsize."

The plane went down in waters not far from Saba Island -- about one mile south of Cyril E. King Airport. More importantly, though, was the plane's proximity to a passing dive boat, which sped to the passengers' rescue.

Minutes after the accident, the boat's crew found the four detainees, whose handcuffs had been removed prior to the accident, as well as the three officers and Schmidt -- all either onboard an inflatable life raft, or clinging to its side.

"The look in their eyes was a little panicked," said diver Duane Hausch to the St. Thomas Source. "It was glassy, fearful and panicked. They couldn't get out of the water and onto the dive boat fast enough."

"Within 10 seconds they were all on the boat. It was instantaneous," added Ryan Schopp, who along with Hausch was preparing to conduct a diving expedition nearby.

All seven were treated at a local hospital, and released later that day, said Attorney General Kerry Drue. The worst injuries were bumps and bruises.

As the FAA prepares to raise the plane's wreckage -- now 84 feet under the ocean -- people are signing Schmidt's praises.

"These kinds of incidents generally don't wind up with good news," said Former Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who has known Schmidt for more than 10 years. "It's a tribute to Garry and the training he has received. I've flown with him for years."

"I would ride in the co-pilot's seat, and I would observe how professionally he handled the aircraft." Stridiron added. "One of the things Garry insists on is that he receive recurrent training in the states every six months."

Obtained by the VI Justice Department in a drug raid 10 years ago, the 1976 Piper (file photo of type, right) was last serviced about six months ago, Drue said.

**   Report created 4/20/2006   Record 2
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 554DJ        Make/Model: PA31      Description: PA-31/31P Navajo, Navajo Chieftain, Chie
  Date: 04/16/2006     Time: 1308

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: SAINT THOMAS   State:      Country: VI

DESCRIPTION
  N554DJ, A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE U S VIRGIN ISLANDS, PIPER PA31 ACFT, LOST
  ENGINE POWER IN BOTH ENGINES AND DITCHED INTO THE OCEAN, THE SEVEN PERSONS
  ON BOARD WERE RESCUED, MINOR INJURIES REPORTED TO UNKNOWN NUMBER OF
  PASSENGERS, TWO MILES OFF THE SAINT THOMAS COAST, U S VIRGIN ISLANDS

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   6     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: S1300Z 19003 10 FEW020 27/17 A2996

OTHER DATA

  Departed: SAINT CROIX, USVI           Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: SAINT THOMAS, USVI       Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: LOCAL CONTROL
  Last Clearance: CLRD TO LAND

  FAA FSDO: SAN JUAN, PR  (SO21)                  Entry date: 04/19/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov