Pilot Hauled From Water By Oyster Farmers

A 78-year-old pilot ditched his Cessna 150 (file photo of type below) in Humboldt Bay off the northern California coast Thursday after its engine quit.

Glenn Councilman of Eureka departed Murray Field for a "flight around the bay" on Thursday. "The engine just gave up on me, he told the Eureka Times-Standard. "I had to land in the water."

Councilman, who claims more than 60 years of flying experience, says he saw an oyster farming barge on the water and headed for it. "I saw the guys down there and put it down next to them."

Coast Seafood workers on the barge watched Councilman's plane go down and got to him before the plane went under.

In an almost comical aftermath, the Coast Guard arrived on the scene after receiving a call about the downed plane, but couldn't get into the shallow bay to conduct a search.

Meanwhile, Councilman was taken ashore by the oyster farmers and went home to change out of his wet clothes. Responding emergency personnel eventually caught up with him after Councilman went back to the Coast Seafoods facility where the farmers had dropped him.

Later in the day he and Sheriff's department personnel headed back out on the bay to find his plane which was eventually hauled out of the water.

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**   Report created 12/8/2006   Record 1                                      **
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 3394J        Make/Model: C150      Description: 150, A150, Commuter, Aerobat
  Date: 12/06/2006     Time: 2000

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: EUREKA   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED INTO ARCATA BAY DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE, EUREKA, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KACV 061953Z AUTO 29003KT 5SM HZ CLR 14/07 A3022

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: EUREKA, CA                  Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: EUREKA, CA               Flt Plan: NONE         Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: OAKLAND, CA  (WP27)                   Entry date: 12/07/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov