Monday, May 28, 2012

Control Tower Tapes As Pilot Crashes Into San Diego Bay: Pilots Back In The Air 2 Days After Crash

Two days after crashing a plane into San Diego Bay, the two pilots who survived the ordeal were flying again.

New video obtained by 10News shows the moment a single-engine plane splashed into the water due to mechanical problems. The plane made the emergency landing at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the bay in front of the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, near the San Diego Convention Center, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue

"It went right into the water," one witness told 10News. "It hit. It impacted, kind of rolled a little bit and then we saw a head bobbing out of it. We knew someone had made it out of there."10News has learned of at least three other plane crashes for Aerial Advertising, the company that owns the Cessna that crashed.

In 2006, a female pilot lost her life in a crash at Gillespie Field. Also that year, a pilot survived a crash landing on state Route 125 near El Cajon after having engine trouble. In 2010, a pilot had to make an emergency landing at an El Cajon intersection before the aircraft burst into flames. The pilot in that crash survived."It's probably not indicative of any kinds of shortcomings on the part of this particular operator," said local aviation expert Fred George.George told 10News banner towing is inherently dangerous because the planes used for it are not designed for that purpose.

"It requires skill on the part of the pilot to not only pick up the banner and get it airborne," said George.On Monday, the two men who survived Saturday's crash were out flying again. They flew from Gillespie Field to San Diego Bay, towing a banner for the USS Midway Museum that read, "Honor those that keep us safe."George said crop dusters are better suited for banner towing but are rarely used because they are more expensive.

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