Pilot And Five Passengers Soggy But Okay

Inviting some to make comparisons to "Sully" Sullenberger's successful water landing of a US Airways A320 in New York's Hudson River, an Australian pilot made a safe ditching of the company Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain in the Timor Sea off the coast of Darwin, in the Northern Territories.

As with Sullenberger's emergency landing, trouble developed shortly after takeoff, with no chance of returning to the airport, CNN reported. The Chieftain (type shown at right) had just departed Darwin International Airport when it lost power.

Neville Blyth, a senior transport safety investigator with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the plane's flight path took it over water, with few places to put it down on land.

Stretches of beach presented a possible option, but the firmness of the sand was questionable, Blyth said. The pilot opted for a safer choice, landing in the water near shore. The pilot and five passengers were unhurt and waded to shore after exiting the ditched plane. "It's essentially a good story," Blyth said.

Australian information technology company CSG, the owner of the plane, issued a statement praising the pilot's performance during the ordeal. "We would like to congratulate the pilot following all emergency landing and evacuation procedures and his very professional handling of the situation," it said.

Australian media has picked up on the water-ditching correlation between the two incidents, calling the as-yet-unnamed pilot of the Navajo "Sully Lite," in comparison to US Airways Captain "Sully" Sullenberger.

When asked about the comparisons, Blyth pointed out, "The correlation for a water landing is as close as it gets."

FMI: www.atsb.gov.au