Anyone seen anything on a Pacific Ocean rescue?

denverpilot

denverpilot

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There's a post floating around FB about someone getting a call about a friend's aircraft and fuel on board from FAA/USCG.

N427LE (Lanceair), FlightAware track shows it overflying a California destination (originated in AZ) and continuing into the Pacific Ocean.

Have searched for news articles on it, and the post includes that fighter aircraft were sent to assist and check for a hypoxia scenario -- the "standard" hypoxia story -- but zip in the mainstream press about this one, as far as I can tell.

Anyone seen any articles of substance on it anywhere? I'm trying not to think that another group was trolled with a false post, but mostly just curious at the lack of coverage if it really did occur.

(Also haven't spent any significant time in analysis of the track, etc. Busy working.)

Anyway, if true, here's hoping we didn't lose another pilot to hypoxia.
 
Wouldn't be the first time someone fell asleep and woke up over the ocean without enough fuel to get back to land. :(
 
Sad,most likely some medical problem developed.
 
Thanks for the link. I was a little concerned someone was trolling the other group. Although considering the outcome, I think I'd actually prefer that... Sigh.
 
Very sad, I know it's too early to speculate, but that's what we do here. 25,000 feet in an unpressurized airplane is a bad time to have an oxygen problem.:( I know it could be any number of things, but an O2 problem or health issue would be the top two to look at, unfortunately they won't have much wreckage to investigate.
 
Article states it was a Lancair but not which model. If it was a Lancair IV-P then it would have been pressurized, otherwise non-pressurized. Very sad.
 
Sorry, won't click a USA Today link. They're anti-aviation and make their living off of people clicking that crap. They need to die.
 
Why on earth does Fighter Jets escort the airplane in situations like this, what could they possibly do but shoot down the airplane?
 
FloridaPilot said:
Why on earth does Fighter Jets escort the airplane in situations like this, what could they possibly do but shoot down the airplane?
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In this situation nothing, however if he's just asleep, they can wake him up with noise and/or lights.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Why on earth does Fighter Jets escort the airplane in situations like this, what could they possibly do but shoot down the airplane?
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ATC has no eyeballs, and can't determine what is going on if nobody is talking.

The fighter pilots have eyeballs, and they can talk, to report what they see.
 
NoHeat said:
ATC has no eyeballs, and can't determine what is going on if nobody is talking.

The fighter pilots have eyeballs, and they can talk, to report what they see.
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Ok,

Then what?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoHeat
ATC has no eyeballs, and can't determine what is going on if nobody is talking.

The fighter pilots have eyeballs, and they can talk, to report what they see.


FloridaPilot said:
Ok,

Then what?
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They deploy a net between the fighters to catch and gently lower the errant aircraft to the ground... :lol:
 
FloridaPilot said:
Ok,

Then what?
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My guess: keep the other traffic safely out of the way.

The depressurized plane was in the flight levels, so it was flying under IFR. ATC's job is to separate IFR traffic. If they know why an IFR plane is not talking, then they'll have a better idea of what to expect.

Just the same, I'm not sure it's a good use of resources to send up fighters.
 
Zeldman said:
They deploy a net between the fighters to catch and gently lower the errant aircraft to the ground... :lol:
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Yeah, those comments I pulled off that Cirrus that overflew DC with the pilot passed out...

Al 16 hours ago
So they just escorted him to his death? I guess as long as he flew away from the White House it was every man for himself, huh.
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Anthony Popovich 11 hours ago
they just flew alongside the unconscious pilots' plane & watched it crash into the ocean? What kind of cold and cruel people do we have flying these military planes? Yeah, we see him. We'll just wait till he crashes then go home. If they weren't so callous, all of them, not just the F-16 pilots, they should have tried to help the stricken pilot. Maybe try to rescue him from his plane from another plane or helicopter. They should have some sort of laws to keep military pilots away from the elderly or young children.
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J. V. DZUGASHVILI 16 hours ago
Why wasn't the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) deployed by the F-16 pilots?
They could have easily initiated a soft water landing by the Cirrus SR22.
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J. V. DZUGASHVILI 17 hours ago
If there were two F-16s, why not deploy a net between them to catch the plane, once it ran out of fuel?
Then they return to shore and hand it off to a rescue copter
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Andrew F 16 hours ago
It is surprising that there are not nets strung between large aircraft that can sweep up smaller aircraft that have problems.
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WhiskeyBum 12 hours ago
Couldn't one of them have climbed out , and into his plane to take the controls , or at least knocked on his window to wake him up ?
They were sent up there to kill him , and they did , through doing nothing .
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Sunshine 15 hours ago
Wait, what? Didn't they build the f-16 in the 1970s? How old is our Air Force?
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chevfan_1 18 hours ago
During times like this why don't they send the f22. Much faster and more capable plane.
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H2O 4 hours ago
We have a restricted airspace over Washington D.C.? THAT is news, but considering those that supposedly work there are always ignoring the American people it just confirms that it IS another country and not part of the U.S.
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flowerc 16 hours ago
This is sure an expensive rescue and not to mention the cost of the F-16s to monitor this pilot, was he drunk, in any case there sure have been a lot of people flying small planes; having accidents a lot! These people should not have a license to fly!! there should be a new rule about getting your pilot license, it should be more hours and they should be evaluated every year!!
this is getting ridiculous!
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Kate 2 hours ago
This is why humans should not fly. If mankind was meant to fly in the sky like that we would have wings. When the old gods return they will smite down all those sinners who dare mock them.
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John 17 hours ago
So a plane flying from Wisconsin to Virginia is only require to have 1 pilot and no co-pilot? I am surprised there are not more planes falling from the sky everyday.
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Yahoo 1 hour ago
They assume he was dead, but what if he was just asleep? Too bad they don't have horns on those jets.
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boby b 16 hours ago
really nothing could have been done to save him!!! Maybe a hook or something, a parachute, or I don't know, something. I am really dead scared of small planes. There is nothing you can do if something bad happens. Maybe some adjustments like a eject seat be incorporated to them in future. convalescents to family, and fighter pilots, I guess they are already sad, so do not feel bad, it happens. Just a lesson for future.
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they should have tried to help the stricken pilot. Maybe try to rescue him from his plane from another plane or helicopter. They should have some sort of laws to keep military pilots away from the elderly or young children.
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Someone watched too much Air Force One.
 
There is nothing you can do if something bad happens. Maybe some adjustments like a eject seat be incorporated to them in future.
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Yes, there's nothing that can be done exact 1000 things. And we all know airliners have ejection seats.

Not to go off topic, but those comments above are astonishingly ignorant.
 
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Bonchie said:
Not to go off topic, but those comments above are astonishingly ignorant.
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And every one of them has the same voting power as you or I (well not I, because as an immigrant I am taxed, but may not vote. Ironic).

Scary, isn't it.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Get your citizenship. Not difficult.
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I have a couple of friends who'd beg to differ. They're on the track but it's incredibly slow. One from Russia, the other two from India.

One is stuck on an H1B Visa and I'm pretty sure that's the closest thing to slavery we have in the country today.

But he's awesome. He is "that guy" who just goes to the airliner airport after buying a ticket to somewhere he wants to see around noon on Friday when the rates drop, and spends a weekend checking the place out. He and the wife jet set around on discounted tickets everywhere all the time. He's been doing this for many years.

(He asked me about private flying and I answered a ton of questions, and he's decided it's not for him. But he was at least, genuinely interested.)

I always wonder why TSA doesn't body cavity search him regularly for his travel patterns, but he's so infectiously happy he's probably worn them out, offering to hold the butt cheek wider or the flashlight while grinning.

He appreciates this place way more than most of us, that's for sure.

Huge **** eating grin on his face riding his monster motorcycle around, too. Little tiny guy.

His favorite pop culture line is...

http://youtu.be/zl-HalherjQ
 
denverpilot said:
I have a couple of friends who'd beg to differ. They're on the track but it's incredibly slow. One from Russia, the other two from India.

One is stuck on an H1B Visa and I'm pretty sure that's the closest thing to slavery we have in the country today.

But he's awesome. He is "that guy" who just goes to the airliner airport after buying a ticket to somewhere he wants to see around noon on Friday when the rates drop, and spends a weekend checking the place out. He and the wife jet set around on discounted tickets everywhere all the time. He's been doing this for many years.

(He asked me about private flying and I answered a ton of questions, and he's decided it's not for him. But he was at least, genuinely interested.)

I always wonder why TSA doesn't body cavity search him regularly for his travel patterns, but he's so infectiously happy he's probably worn them out, offering to hold the butt cheek wider or the flashlight while grinning.

He appreciates this place way more than most of us, that's for sure.

Huge **** eating grin on his face riding his monster motorcycle around, too. Little tiny guy.

His favorite pop culture line is...

http://youtu.be/zl-HalherjQ
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Well an H-1B is a nonimmigrant visa. The post I was replying to said he was an immigrant. There is a big difference. Being here as an immigrant versus a guest worker means that you most likely have a green card and are just a few short easy steps and 3 to 5 years from being a citizen from the time you received your status. A holder of a nonimmigrant visa needs a change of status to immigrant and then some time before being able to apply for citizenship. The process is however very simple.

Oh, and the H-1B is nothing even remotely resembling slavery.
 
the "process" may be simple, but implementation of said process is not.

My daughter in law just got her naturalized citizenship after many years of "the process".

Our past neighbor was here in the US on a visa (not sure what type), his wife and children accompanied him. They owned a house, he established a business, kids in private school - paying taxes, contributing to society. His wife had to travel back out of the country to attend to a sick relative and was detained at the airport and then deported for "abuse of the visa - too many exit/entrances to the country" or some such thing. Took a bath on the house sale, lost the business.

Yet we hear stories of illegal aliens beating the bus back across the border time and time again.
 
overdrive148 said:
Yeah, those comments I pulled off that Cirrus that overflew DC with the pilot passed out...
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:rofl::lol:

People are clueless...

Literally the only reason fighters are called is to verify that they are incapacitated and if so, shoot them down if they look like they will cause harm to people on the ground. They will probably make a few passes close-by with afterburners to try to wake them up(even in a piston, an F-16 going by is really loud) but if no joy, they will do what they need to make sure only one life is taken instead of a pilot+an elementary school. I can't imagine how hard that is for the pilots to have to sit there, helpless and watch the pilot go down with the ship.
 
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