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Author
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Topic: Tragedy on Lake Simcoe
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Eric
Member
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posted August 07, 2005 08:48 AM
   
Yesterday afternoon we all went for a day sail on Lake Simcoe. The sailing ended about an hour into our afternoon, when two float planes crashed in mid air. One plane nosedived into the water, and the other plane was able to land safely. Two occupants in the crashed plane perished.I posted a small report on the TrailerSailor, with a picture.
http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/read/440109 Eric [This message has been edited by Eric (edited August 07, 2005).] IP: 206.172.173.90 |
Hyprstitch
Member
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posted August 07, 2005 10:57 AM
Hello Eric, I went over to the Trailor Sailor and read your post. A good peice of writing, And I'm saddend two people could not be saved. You should be commended for doing all you could do. Sid IP: 207.200.116.203 |
windy island
Member
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posted August 07, 2005 11:37 AM
Eric, you did everything as best that you and your crew could do. I know your crew and you should be very proud of them. A great loss with the pipot and his son not surviving. We'll all say a prayer.
AbIP: 216.106.101.75 |
whited
unregistered
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posted August 07, 2005 03:06 PM
Very good Eric. Glad to see you did the proper procedure. An emergency like that shows if you can remain clear headed in a stressful situation. Was the GPS helpful in providing the location?
I'm sure it'll take a bit of time to get over the effects of the accident. Thank God you weren't the only ones there.[This message has been edited by whited (edited August 07, 2005).] IP: 142.167.237.236 |
Eric
Member
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posted August 07, 2005 08:04 PM
I left the boat tied up at the Barrie Marina yesterday. I went down this afternoon, to check her over. The launch ramp was still closed due to the "survivor" aircraft being tied to the ramp dock. The pilot motored over to the marina and tied to the easiest place. The plane is taped off with police warning tape until the NTSB arrives for the investigation. While at the boat today, it seemed like every other person was walking by saying "there's the plane".
The accident is something we will not soon forget. There wasn't much we could do. There wasn't much anyone could do to save the sticken pilot and his son. The fuel and oil in the water burned the would be rescuer's eyes and skin.
Interestingly, our young 13 year old guest from Nova Scotia, had just recently become dive certified. However there was no way I was sending a minor in my care to attempt a rescue.
His dad works for the Halifax 911 service. He was astonished by the length of time it took for authorities to respond to "our" accident. I suppose, maritimer's are used to responding quickley to sea accidents.
Don, I didn't even have the GPS on, (however my VHF is always on, and ready). I don't even hang my compass when sailing in local waters. I know where I am, and where I'm going, at least on a short daysail. It was a case of saying where the accident was in relation to a landmark. There are so many boats and people around, that EMS would know where to go. Unfortunately, they didn't because of misinformation given on the vhf, even though I gave the correct location, and corrected another station giving misinformation. I later met a guy with a big Searay, who heard my mayday call, and couldn't believe it when this other boater gave the wrong location, which happened to be on the opposite side of the bay! This boater (Searay) instead used his cell phone, which is much better for calling 911. We don't have Coast Guard vessels on our lake. We have local and provincial police. The Coast Guard monitors 16 on our lake, and co-ordinates with local police services for any emergency.
One thing we and the police report on the TV, thought of, is that the accident could have been catastrouphic. First there are many boats in the area. There's a power boat marina, and a public beach, near the crash scene. It's lucky the plane crashed in the water, not land, and not on another boat in this busy area!
Thanks for your kind words. I don't think I did anything special. I remember seeing the plane dive into the water, and I paused for a brief second. I thought to myself "that's not supposed to happen like that!", in a state of disbelief, and then you respond the best way you can. We were just one of many, who tried to do whatever we could to help, in that desparate situation.Eric IP: 64.228.1.2 | |
