Skymaster goes into Ocean, two lucky Swedes rescued . . .

Aviation General Aviation
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Updated Mon. Dec. 8 2008 10:18 AM ET

The Canadian Press

IQALUIT, Nunavut – A rescue spokeswoman in Halifax says two Swedish nationals have been found alive by searchers after their small plane crashed Sunday in icy water south of Nunavut.

Jeri Grychowski says the two men have been picked up from a life-raft by a fishing vessel searching the area about seven kilometres from Baffin Island.

There’s no word on their condition.

Grychowski says a Cormorant helicopter is en route and will lower rescue technicians to the ship to assess the health of the survivors.

The men were travelling in a twin-engine Cessna Skymaster from Wabush, N.L., to Iqaluit, Nunavut, when it lost both engines over the Hudson Strait.

Grychowski says the men were picked up this morning.

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That sounds cold!

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thestar.com/News/Canada/article/550153

Kudos to the pilot for landing safely on the ice. No fatalities, minor injuries… Definately a win for GA.

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BBC News coverage

Two men who crash-landed their plane in freezing waters survived 18 hours on a tiny sheet of ice “huddled together like penguins”.

The two - one Australian and the other Swedish - endured temperatures of -20C (-4F) after their Cessna plane ran into trouble over the far north of Canada.

Their survival equipment sank with the plane and rescue aircraft responding to their Mayday call failed to find them.

They were eventually rescued by a trawler and airlifted to hospital.

Australian Oliver Edwards-Neil, 25, and his Swedish flying partner Troels Hansen, 45, had been flying a Cessna Skymaster from the US to Sweden when both its engines failed over the Hudson Strait, just south of the Arctic Circle.

Equipment lost

They sent out a Mayday call before landing minutes later in water surrounded by tiny sheets of ice.

As the cockpit quickly filled with freezing water, they managed to scramble through a window and on to an ice sheet about 5m (16ft) wide and 10m long before the plane sank, with all their equipment on board.

Mr Edwards-Neil, who lives in Sweden, told the Sydney Morning Herald website that it was already dark and after two hours on the ice they heard rescue planes and helicopters circling.

We tried to keep each other warm and sheltered each other from the wind… like penguins
Oliver Edwards-Neil

But without flares or even a torch the men had no way of attracting attention and the aircraft eventually flew away.

Mr Edwards-Neil said that their survival suits saved their lives.

“But I never thought I could freeze that much. I was shivering non-stop,” he said.

"I was sure that I was not going to make it but my mate said ‘You’re going to get there.’

“We kept each other going and supported each other, and we tried to keep each other warm and sheltered each other from the wind… like penguins.”

When daylight came, the men could see land in the distance and started to jump from one ice sheet to another to try to reach it.

It was then that they were found by a fishing boat that had also heard their Mayday call and headed to the scene.

The captain, Bo Mortensen, said the men were “weeping with joy” when the crew brought them aboard 7km (4.3 miles) from Baffin Island, in Canada’s Nunavut territory.

He said the men looked to be in good shape apart from frostbite to their feet, but were “lucky to be alive”.

Mr Edwards-Neil and Mr Hansen were later transferred by helicopter to a hospital in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

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Good prior planning leads to a happy ending. http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8399/thumbsup4kk.gif

(No Rob, Allen, Pik and the rest of you low-lifes, not that kind of happy ending!)

Just imagine the outcome if they hadn’t been wearing survival suits!

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HEY!! I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!!

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[quote=“pika1000”]

And yet you knew to what I referred!!!

Methinks he doth protest too much lads. :open_mouth:

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[quote=“JHEM”]

You two happy to go-lucky too funny :stuck_out_tongue:

Did I cover all my 2’s?

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This 337 was a sweet machine. For you old guys it was once flown and used by Hugh Downs. There was a nice article written on it by Richard Collins. We flew it a lot and then the owner sold it through a broker to the Swede. Last time either of us saw it the new owner had it at a shop getting it ready for the trans-atlantic. I was SHOCKED when my friend called this morning and said it was at the bottom of the ocean. We ALL are so very happy the transfer pilots got out and survived. I can’t tell you how grateful to the big pilot above we feel for their safe but very scary landing (If you can call it that) and rescue. I can’t imagine the fear. I must admit I will miss her. Missed her when she sold but there is something eerie about one of ours being a 337 Submarine. Wish I knew what went wrong. Sounds like fuel problems, they have a tricky plumbing system but who knows? Won’t ever really know, I guess? But what does it matter? At least 2 great pilots are spending Christmas with their families.

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Probably never know, as you say, but it would be interesting to know what the last fuel stop was and how far out they were when the engines stopped turning.

The lack of a Hoover Nozzle and Hoover Ring has lead to the loss of more than a few aircraft.