Friday, October 14, 2011

Piper Aerostar 600: Safe landing in marsh. Golfers surprised by emergency touchdown near Mt. Pleasant course; 2 in plane OK. South Carolina.


Two men brought a sputtering plane down beside a Mount Pleasant golf course Thursday, and won accolades from golfers for avoiding the rough.

The men climbed safely out of the twin-engine Piper Aerostar six-seater after it crash-landed at 2:06 p.m. in a marsh, about 500 yards from RiverTowne Country Club's 9th hole. A number of golfers called 911, and some took time to watch as rescue workers reached the plane in all-terrain vehicles and an airboat.

The plane's occupants suffered no serious injuries, said Bob Brummer, director of communications for the Charleston County Aviation Authority. The names of the travelers were not released.

He said the flight originated at the North Myrtle Beach Airport and was en route to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when the pilot reported engine trouble.

The pilot radioed he was going to make an emergency landing at Charleston International Airport, but then said he wasn't going to be able to make it. He tried to make the much closer Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, near S.C. Highway 41.

"Evidently he didn't make it, and ended up in the marsh for some reason," Brummer said. He said FAA investigators will see the plane today.

Several golfers said they heard nothing unusual before sighting the plane in the marsh, although one golfer said he thought he heard an engine sputtering.

"He was a good pilot. He did a hell of a job landing that plane," said Frank Jordan of West Ashley, who was enjoying a golf outing when the plane came down. Jordan said the marsh was the best place the plane could have come down, considering the circumstances.

"He had to be traveling at 100 to 150 mph when he headed in there. They were very fortunate not to land in the trees," he added.

"I think he did the right thing," Tracy Schooler, a golf pro, said about the marsh landing.

Bucky Dudley, director of golf at the country club, said he was on his way to give a lesson when told the plane was down. "I saw two guys standing on the fuselage, not waving frantically, they were just kind of sitting there," he said.

Helicopters and large numbers of law-enforcement officers, firefighters and rescue squad volunteers responded.

Greg Murphy of RiverTowne Country Club, a retired assistant superintendent of schools in Long Island, N.Y., said he was teeing off on the 7th hole when he heard "an unusual sound," like a sputtering engine. "I got to the 8th tee box and could see helicopters circling," and after moving to the 8th hole, sighted the wreckage. He joined a friend in watching the rescue through binoculars.

"We were able to get a very clear view of what was taking place, and could see the passengers exit the plane. They looked OK," he added. He said the men perched atop the plane's fuselage and wings while waiting for rescue. "We have a lot of hazards here but nothing that would cause a plane to come down," he joked. "But it was different from what you see every day on the golf course."

FAA records show the plane is a 1981 Piper Aerostar 600. FAA registration records state the plane's registration is "in question."

Information obtained late Thursday indicates an effort was under way to repossess the plane.

http://www.postandcourier.com

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