While I usually focus mostly on commercial aviation on the blog, there’s an incredible US Coast Guard video of a plane running out of fuel and ditching near Hawaii, but not before deploying its parachute.
The Cirrus SR-22 was being ferried from the mainland to Hawaii, and from there it was going to continue to Australia, where it was being delivered to a new owner. The plane was equipped with special fuel tanks to make the long journey between the mainland and Hawaii, though the pilot contacted the coast guard three hours out to say he wouldn’t have enough fuel to make it.
The good news is that the Cirrus SR-22 has a parachute, so he could deploy that in hopes of having as safe of a water landing as possible.
Since they had plenty of time to prepare, a C-130 and a Holland America cruise ship were deployed to rescue the plane.
While I don’t think anyone wants to ditch a plane, the footage captured from the C-130 is nothing short of amazing:
The pilot is apparently in good condition, and they’re investigating what went wrong with the fuel tanks.
That must have been quite a show for the people on the cruise ship!
(Tip of the hat to Travel Skills)
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