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| Junior Member |
It's 2 Miracles! Minden-based glider pilot survives a mid-air collision with a corporate jet traveling at 450 mph over north Douglas County, and the jet pilot lands her craft despite the cockpit dash/controls being obliterated upon impact with the glider. Glider Pilot Hirao Akihiro is alive tonight because his glider was hit in a wing, and not the fuselage, by a fast moving corporate jet at 16,000 feet near the Carson City/Douglas County line. Akihiro told authorities that he was flying his Minden-based glider in an upward spiral to gain altitude into today's westerly winds. As he made another upward loop, Akihiro said he saw the jet coming right at him, and in an instant, his craft was missing a wing and was falling to earth. He said he immediately popped the glider canopy, and simply crawled out of the pilot's seat, and activated his parachute for the long float to the ground. Meanwhile, aboard the Hawker corporate jet, debris from the collision shot up and into the cockpit, completely ransacking and ripping apart the cockpit control dashboard and electronics. The lady pilot was lacerated by flying dash parts and aluminum shards, yet she managed to gently guide her multi-million dollar aircraft to the westerly approach to the Carson City Airport. Because of the nose damage, and the obliterated control devices inside it, she was not able to lower the landing gear. So she belly flopped it onto the asphalt. The craft slid to a stop about half-way down the runway. All three crew and 3 passengers quickly got out of the plane which they had just earlier boarded near San Diego enroute to Reno. A fuel leak was quickly foamed by awaiting fire fighters. Meanwhile, Akihiro, 58, finished his parachute journey back to earth, landing in the Granite Peak area, just south of where his glider crashed. He said he took off his chute harness and waited a while for any signs of rescuers, but eventually decided to walk out toward the west. It was at the mouth of Lone Pine Canyon that a Washoe Tribal Police Sergeant came across Akihiro walking downhill. Akihiro was taken to the Minden Airport where he was debriefed by authorities. When over, awaiting news reporters asked for an interview, but he declined. Instead, he just got into an awaiting car and left. They say Akihiro is an avid glider pilot, and a native of Japan. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. |
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| | #2 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Des Moines, Iowa (based in IAH)
Posts: 1,083
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| | #3 |
| Old Skool |
What's a collition?
__________________ Don't call her a babe, ok? She is a Chechnyan prostitute, and you will address her as such! -ATHF |
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