Detainees, Officers Onboard Rescued By Dive Boat
"You train for something like this, but you never think you'll
have to do it," pilot Gary Schmidt said Tuesday afternoon, shortly
before a press conference to describe the harrowing ordeal he and
six other people onboard a Virgin Islands Justice Department Piper
Navajo experienced just hours before.
Schmidt was flying four juvenile detainees and two corrections
officers from St. Croix to St. Thomas Tuesday morning, when the
twin's engines suddenly cut out. As he called Mayday to control
towers in San Juan and St. Thomas, he set up best glide speed and
made a fairly controlled water landing at about 90 mph.
"I just tried to keep the airplane flying and it didn't want to,
so I had to put it in the water," Schmidt said. "I just wanted to
make sure it didn't capsize."
The plane went down in waters not far from Saba Island -- about
one mile south of Cyril E. King Airport. More importantly, though,
was the plane's proximity to a passing dive boat, which sped to the
passengers' rescue.
Minutes after the accident, the boat's crew found the four
detainees, whose handcuffs had been removed prior to the accident,
as well as the three officers and Schmidt -- all either onboard an
inflatable life raft, or clinging to its side.
"The look in their eyes was a little panicked," said diver Duane
Hausch to the St. Thomas Source. "It was glassy, fearful and
panicked. They couldn't get out of the water and onto the dive boat
fast enough."
"Within 10 seconds they were all on the boat. It was
instantaneous," added Ryan Schopp, who along with Hausch was
preparing to conduct a diving expedition nearby.
All seven were treated at a local hospital, and released later
that day, said Attorney General Kerry Drue. The worst injuries were
bumps and bruises.
As the FAA prepares to
raise the plane's wreckage -- now 84 feet under the ocean -- people
are signing Schmidt's praises.
"These kinds of incidents generally don't wind up with good
news," said Former Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who has known
Schmidt for more than 10 years. "It's a tribute to Garry and the
training he has received. I've flown with him for years."
"I would ride in the co-pilot's seat, and I would observe how
professionally he handled the aircraft." Stridiron added. "One of
the things Garry insists on is that he receive recurrent training
in the states every six months."
Obtained by the VI Justice Department in a drug raid 10 years
ago, the 1976 Piper (file photo of type, right) was last serviced
about six months ago, Drue said.
** Report created 4/20/2006 Record
2
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IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 554DJ
Make/Model: PA31 Description:
PA-31/31P Navajo, Navajo Chieftain, Chie
Date: 04/16/2006 Time: 1308
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
None Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: SAINT THOMAS
State: Country: VI
DESCRIPTION
N554DJ, A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE U S VIRGIN ISLANDS, PIPER
PA31 ACFT, LOST
ENGINE POWER IN BOTH ENGINES AND DITCHED INTO THE OCEAN, THE
SEVEN PERSONS
ON BOARD WERE RESCUED, MINOR INJURIES REPORTED TO UNKNOWN
NUMBER OF
PASSENGERS, TWO MILES OFF THE SAINT THOMAS COAST, U S VIRGIN
ISLANDS
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 6 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: S1300Z 19003 10 FEW020 27/17 A2996
OTHER DATA
Departed: SAINT CROIX,
USVI
Dep Date: Dep.
Time:
Destination: SAINT THOMAS,
USVI Flt
Plan:
Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont: LOCAL CONTROL
Last Clearance: CLRD TO LAND
FAA FSDO: SAN JUAN, PR
(SO21)
Entry date: 04/19/2006