Tue, Jun 26, 2012
Boat He Was Spotting For Picked Him Up After He Was Located By The Coast Guard
The pilot of an airplane working as a tuna spotter off the coast of Massachusetts was rescued Friday after he was forced to ditch his plane in the ocean. The man, known by the crew of the tuna boat for which he was working as a spotter as 'Pat the Pilot', was not injured when the plane went down for unspecified reasons.
The pilot was acting as a spotter for the fishing boat "Christina", which is featured on the National Geographic television show "Wicked Tuna". The boat crew had told the pilot to return to shore about 20 minutes before the accident occurred due to deteriorating weather. Deck Boss Greg Chorebanian told the Boston Herald that the pilot called on the radio just before 1700 EDT and said "I'm going down." He said the crew quickly calculated the area where the plane was likely to impact the water, and raced in that direction.
The Coast Guard had scrambled a Falcon jet, a helicopter, and a small boat in the direction of the accident scene. The jet spotted 'Pat' first, in a liferaft attached to the tail of the airplane.
The Christina arrived shortly after that, and the pilot got on board the fishing vessel for the ride back to shore. He was not injured, but also refused to be interviewed.
Fans of the show will not be able to see the rescue at sea. The television crew that travels with the boat when "Wicked Tuna" is in production was not on board when it went after the pilot. Chorebanian said filming for the next season of the unscripted show begins in about three weeks. He also said that "Pat the Pilot" will likely continue to spot tuna for the Christina. "I imagine he's at the airport looking for a new airplane as we speak," he told the paper.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]