Stephanie knew that there were more than one person crying for help, and she also knew that she had to get help as soon as possible, She had to make a rapid decision; to continue on to the school or return to the scene, and try to find some other means of gaining access to the airplane. The ride to the school would take at least 15 minutes peddling as fast as she can. But what if she had overlooked some other entry to the aircraft. She had no experience with airplanes, let alone, an aircraft of this type. She decided to return to the scene.

My, why didn’t I think of it in the first place. The airplanes cockpit windows. She hadn’t even thought of looking there. Running around to the front of the airplane, she noticed that the windows were broken, and she could fit through them, if only she could gain access to them. The plane was sitting on top and wedged between trees. She would have to climb the tree, jump to the top of the aircraft, and shimmy herself through the glass windows.

Squeezing herself through the cockpit window, barely avoiding its jagged edges, Stephanie was devastated at what she saw. Two bodies lay on the floor of the cockpit Both seemed not be breathing. Suddenly she heard voices. Voices that sounded far away, but yet near. “Open the door, please, hurry, open the door.” Stepping over the bodies, she tried to open the door from the cockpit to the cabin. It was locked. After a few seconds of fumbling she finally found the latch to the door. Turning the handle, she flung the door open

In the dimness of the cabin, Stephanie was greeted with a sight she hoped never to see again. Debris was strewn all over the cabins floor. Papers, and baggage that had loosened from its tie downs. People on the floor, seemingly not able to get up, trapped for hours, unable to escape, although injured, some seriously, were all alive. It was a miracle that anyone could have survived the crash.

There was nothing that Stephanie could do provide a means of escape for the passengers. The door was jammed shut, and there was no way out. The cabin windows even if she could open them was too small for anyone to fit through. They would not be able to reach the cockpits windows even with some assistance. It was up to Stephanie to go for help. Encouraged by the lone woman passenger who was not seriously injured, “go, go please, get some help, hurry please, we will be all right.”

It was mid morning, and the weather was starting to clear. The midnight to 8:00am shift at Blackwater tower was over and the new shift had been on duty for several hours. Joe was still there answering the telephone calls, and hoping and praying that one of the calls would be good news. “Hello, this is Blackwater tower, can I help you?” “This is the Chief of Police in Coster”........

Kathy Arnold was on the local position issuing landing and take instructions, in her usual calm and authoritative voice, “Tri pacer 100Echo., cleared for takeoff runway 13, possible traffic, a Cessna310 inbound about 20 miles south at the airport. Cessna 423Love, traffic a Tripacer departing runway 13, call when entering downwind for runway 13.” Six months had passed since the mishap of Aero commander 1287. She would never forget that night. How could she? But she would not let it affect her natural ability to control air traffic. a profession that she loved and would love for the rest of her career.

Synopsis
Federal authorities determined that the cause of the crash of Aero Commander 1287 was: a complete loss of radio and navigational equipment causing the pilot to fly completely blind during severe instrument conditions. Straying in the opposite direction of his intended flight, the pilot in an attempt to get under the clouds and attempt an emergency landing flew too low, shearing the tops of the trees, the wings separated from the aircraft, although leaving the fuselage mostly intact. The pilot and co-pilot suffered fatal injuries. All passengers survived the crash, although some injuries were severe.

The survival of the passengers was attributed to the integrity of the aircraft; there was no fire, and the softening of the effects of the crash by the tops of trees.

The search of the aircraft by the search party was not extended as far as Coster’.

Stephanie was hailed as a heroine. Her fast thinking was attributed to the saving of the passengers lives.

Kathy Arnold is doing well. She is a supervisor at a large Metropolitan Air Traffic Control facility.

Joe, the Director of Blackwater Tower, was cited for his devotion to duty during an extremely difficult situation. He is now retired and living in a Northeastern part of the United States.

Click Here index

Click Here For Part One of Air Traffic Controller"

Click Here For Part Two of Air Traffic Controller"

Click Here For First Day of School

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Click Here For The Story of Bear, the wonderful Catahoula puppy"

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