Pilot praised for quick reaction
The wreckage of the Mack Air Cessna Caravan made a forced landing due to engine trouble on Chief’s Island last week.
For many travelers who visit both Chobe and also camps near Okavango or Moremi, small charter planes are used to save time and also due to the limited road structure in Botswana. Most of these plane operate out of Maun or Kasane. Accidents happen with all modes of transportation and in all countries. This isn’t a Botswana thing. It’s comforting to see that the training of the local bush pilots allows for a safe resolution to this emergency situation. This article just found from the Ngami Times, Edition 490 15 – 22 January, 2009 and is a direct copy of their text. Any and all copyrights belong to The Ngami Times. Thanks to the fols at “Plan Your Safari” for the tip about the article.
Quick action by a Maun pilot averted a major disaster in the Okavango delta last Wednesday.
Five people escaped with light injuries after the pilot of a Mack Air plane, Stuart Jordaan, landed his Cessna Caravan on the only floodplain available to him 400 metres from Piajio airstrip on Chief’s Island.
Jordaan, 25, had taken off bound for Maun when he heard a loud bang from the engine. In the few seconds he had to follow emergency procedures, he told his four passengers – two foreign tourists and two Motswana staff members – to tighten their seatbelts as he glided into land on the floodplain.
The nose wheel however stuck in the marshy ground and the plane flipped over.
“It was the quick thinking of the pilot who averted a potential disaster,” said a statement from Mack Air.
It was reported he heard a loud bang and the engine stalled.
Strenuous training the pilots go through and mandatory flight tests carried out every six months by designated examiners, along with route checks carried out by senior training captains within the company, played a major role in the incident.
The company said “he turned to the only escape route, the floodplain, as there were trees all around the site. He touched down successfully but then the nose wheel dug in.
“Jordaan did a fantastic job. This was as a result of strenuous emergency training that our pilots go through every six months. It is ingrained in them on how to deal with such emergencies. He did not have time to think and took action instinctively.” Mack Air said it wanted to thank camp management and staff, the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB), the police, helicopter pilot Annie Fine, paramedic Alison Brown, EuropAssist, MRI, and the Botswana Defence Force “for their professional and immediate service”.
I’m pretty sure I flew with this pilot on safari back in ‘02. He is obviously very skilled.