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iPad-Turned-Navigation Device Guides Airplane To Gear-Up Landing

Pilot, Wife Use Tablet As Primary Nav Device Following Electrical Failure On Night Flight

A pilot and his wife on a night flight between Wyoming and Wisconsin in a 1959 PA-24-250 Comanche were forced to turn to their iPads for primary navigation after a complete electrical system failure on the airplane late last Saturday.

The pilot, who was not identified, and his wife flew some 80 miles at night until reaching Rapid City Regional Airport in South Dakota using only altitude, airspeed, and heading information from the devices. But because of the electrical failure, they were unable to notify the airport they were arriving ... or extend the landing gear.

Rapid City Firefighter and Aircraft Rescue specialist Jerry Lueras told Fox News that the two used the the tablets to identify a runway that was not often used at the airport, and made a gear-up landing. Both walked away with no injuries.

(Image provided by the Rapid City, SD Fire Department)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

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