Jessica Cox’s Ercoupe Blasted By Private Jet’s About-Face on Ramp at JFK

A model-C Ercoupe, N26R, owned and operated by Jessica Cox of ‘RightFooted International’  and motivational documentary ‘RightFooted’, was almost destroyed in the brief minutes it sat on the ramp at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.

The source of the destructive force was a business jet performing a 360-degree turn in the vicinity of the Ercoupe.

Ms. Cox had arrived at JFK earlier that day, having previously made arrangements to facilitate the logistics of arrival and parking in preparation for an outreach event, only to discover upon marshaling to parking and shutdown that no tiedowns were available in the designated area. Ms. Cox and her instructor exited the aircraft, proceeded indoors for a quick bio break intending to resolve the ‘tie-down’ issue. Someone suggested bringing out a few trucks to shield the airplane from others, but by the time they returned, the Ercoupe had sustained ‘road rash’ on the underside of its right wingtip as the thrust of the private jet performing its about-face tipped the Ercoupe to the ground and swung it around about 30 degrees while it pivoted on the right main-gear.

Her message to aviators “no matter where you are, tied down your airplane. Even if you don’t have tiedowns, find a way.  Even if you’re just running into the bathroom, make sure your airplane is tied down”. Insurance is sorting it out, but the bill is expected to be about $9,000.

Ms. Cox the world’s first armless pilot, was born without arms, but possesses a flexibility and determination to achieve, despite that that and other challenges. Through the RightFooted Foundation, she conducts outreach activities, motivational speeches, and life-coaching to inspire and encourage children and others with disabilities to “feel excited for tomorrow” and to “courageously tackle new challenges with creativity and unrelenting drive.”

FMI: https://jessicacox.com