Post by 60buick on Aug 2, 2007 6:25:00 GMT 1
If anyone was watching the news tonight you may have seen a plane crashed a mile short of my airport in Kennesaw Georgia. I was involved with the search and rescue effort. This is what happened.
It was about 5 o'clock at Cobb County Airport. 2 of Silver States helicopters were spooled up (I was in one) and another had just lifted off and was holding short of the runway waiting to take off when a call came over the radio.
:Mccoulum tower this is cessna 177 romeo victor I am about 5 miles north west of the airport I am low on fuel and am declaring an emergency.
:Cessna 177 Romeo Victor you are low on fuel and declaring an emergency?
:yes low on fuel and need to land immediatly cessna 177 romeo victor
:Cessna 177 romeo victor I am clearing the area, your clear to land runway 9
There was one plane already landing and it came in and cleared the runway. The helicopter that was waiting for the runway was told to taxi back to the ramp with my helicopter and the third. There was another small plane waiting on the runway and he was told to taxi back to the ramp. There was another plane to the south that was told to stay in that area. All the firetrucks and emergency equipment came racing out beside the runway.
a few minutes pass.
:Cessna 177 Romeo Victor whats your position?
no answer
:cessna 177 Romeo victor whats your position? I had you out over the tree line and lost visual.
no answer
The tower then asked the circling cessna to the south to haul ass to the North west to get a visual on 177RV
One of our 3 helicopters was shut down because the CFI had to take a dump (You can't make this stuff up). The other lost the rotor tach and was in the shut down process. That left me and my instructor in the only helicopter in the area ready to take off. I called tower and asked if they needed assistance.
:Mcculloum Tower helicopter 772 Sierra Hotel is sitting on the ramp by northside ready to go, do you need assistance?
:helicopter 772 sierra hotel take of to the North West the plane was last seen about 2 mile North West of the airport see if you can locate him.
:Mcculloum tower Did I read you correct, take off from present position to the North West? 2 sierra hotel.
(what he asked us to do has us taking off over buildings and ditches with a tailwind instead of a runway with a headwind)
:2 sierra hotel, immediate take off from current position with north west departure.
Me and my instuctor looked at each other and then said OK. I Pulled max power and took off. We pointed the nose down and hauled ass to the approximate area where he was last seen. We spent the next 20 minutes looking for smoke and flying about 1000 feet AGL (above ground level) looking for wreckage. The cessna continued to circle above us at 2000 feet AGL. We kept in comunication with the cessna and the tower. The cessna spotted the downed plane first. The police and paramedics were just pulling up. The 23 year old pilot Eric Ward was pulled out unconscious and bloody. He was taken to Kennestone hospital in critical condition, his current condition is unknown. The people on the ground said he did not look good. I hope he pulls through.
We hung around the area and before we came in no less than 4 news helicopters were all crowded around the crash site.
The news people question which way the tail was facing. They said it was facing away from the airport. It looks to me like he was headed straight to the airport and when his engine quit he didn't have a lot of choices. It was rush hour so the streets were crowded. In every direction the "used to be fields" are now cheaply build subdivisions. there are trees and wires everywhere. I think his engine quit, he saw he was not going to make it and the only inviting place is a huge cemetary not 500 yards from where he crashed. The nose of the plane is pointed to the cemetary. That is the only good landing spot and I fly over it all the time for that very reason. I wonder why he didn't land at Cartersville? It was closer.
It was about 5 o'clock at Cobb County Airport. 2 of Silver States helicopters were spooled up (I was in one) and another had just lifted off and was holding short of the runway waiting to take off when a call came over the radio.
:Mccoulum tower this is cessna 177 romeo victor I am about 5 miles north west of the airport I am low on fuel and am declaring an emergency.
:Cessna 177 Romeo Victor you are low on fuel and declaring an emergency?
:yes low on fuel and need to land immediatly cessna 177 romeo victor
:Cessna 177 romeo victor I am clearing the area, your clear to land runway 9
There was one plane already landing and it came in and cleared the runway. The helicopter that was waiting for the runway was told to taxi back to the ramp with my helicopter and the third. There was another small plane waiting on the runway and he was told to taxi back to the ramp. There was another plane to the south that was told to stay in that area. All the firetrucks and emergency equipment came racing out beside the runway.
a few minutes pass.
:Cessna 177 Romeo Victor whats your position?
no answer
:cessna 177 Romeo victor whats your position? I had you out over the tree line and lost visual.
no answer
The tower then asked the circling cessna to the south to haul ass to the North west to get a visual on 177RV
One of our 3 helicopters was shut down because the CFI had to take a dump (You can't make this stuff up). The other lost the rotor tach and was in the shut down process. That left me and my instructor in the only helicopter in the area ready to take off. I called tower and asked if they needed assistance.
:Mcculloum Tower helicopter 772 Sierra Hotel is sitting on the ramp by northside ready to go, do you need assistance?
:helicopter 772 sierra hotel take of to the North West the plane was last seen about 2 mile North West of the airport see if you can locate him.
:Mcculloum tower Did I read you correct, take off from present position to the North West? 2 sierra hotel.
(what he asked us to do has us taking off over buildings and ditches with a tailwind instead of a runway with a headwind)
:2 sierra hotel, immediate take off from current position with north west departure.
Me and my instuctor looked at each other and then said OK. I Pulled max power and took off. We pointed the nose down and hauled ass to the approximate area where he was last seen. We spent the next 20 minutes looking for smoke and flying about 1000 feet AGL (above ground level) looking for wreckage. The cessna continued to circle above us at 2000 feet AGL. We kept in comunication with the cessna and the tower. The cessna spotted the downed plane first. The police and paramedics were just pulling up. The 23 year old pilot Eric Ward was pulled out unconscious and bloody. He was taken to Kennestone hospital in critical condition, his current condition is unknown. The people on the ground said he did not look good. I hope he pulls through.
We hung around the area and before we came in no less than 4 news helicopters were all crowded around the crash site.
The news people question which way the tail was facing. They said it was facing away from the airport. It looks to me like he was headed straight to the airport and when his engine quit he didn't have a lot of choices. It was rush hour so the streets were crowded. In every direction the "used to be fields" are now cheaply build subdivisions. there are trees and wires everywhere. I think his engine quit, he saw he was not going to make it and the only inviting place is a huge cemetary not 500 yards from where he crashed. The nose of the plane is pointed to the cemetary. That is the only good landing spot and I fly over it all the time for that very reason. I wonder why he didn't land at Cartersville? It was closer.
