Landed A Plane On A Frozen Reservoir While Cockpit Was On Fire

The pilot who famously landed a de Havilland Twin Otter on the frozen Scituate Reservoir in 1982 with the cockpit on fire has Gone West.

The Providence Journal reports that Tom Prinster passed away at his home in South Kingstown last Tuesday at the age of 73.

While flying for regional carrier Pilgrim Airlines, Prinster's plane caught fire when the crew activated the alcohol-based windshield de-icing system. There was a co-pilot, Lyle Hogg, and ten passengers on board the February 21, 1982 flight. One passenger dies of asphyxiation, but everyone else survived.

The flight originally had been diverted to Green Airport, but the fire was growing worse and the crew knew they needed to land. The only available emergency landing site was the frozen reservoir.

Accounts of the accident described the fire in the cockpit as being so intense that the crew's headsets melted. Hoggs was found on the ice. He says he must have pulled it from his head and threw it out the window.

While Prinster's cause of death was not noted, his wife said he had suffered numerous health issues since the accident. He suffered burns over 70 percent of his body, and developed lung issues from smoke inhalation that plagued him the rest of his life.

Prinster earned his private pilot certificate while in high school. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy, and began his commercial aviation career following his service. After recovering from his injuries, Prinster briefly flew for Pilgrim again. After he retired from the airline, he worked as a flight instructor and drove a van for disabled people. He went back to school and studied English and counseling, starting a psychotherapy practice before finally retiring for good.

(Image of a modern variant of the Twin Otter from file)

FMI: Source report