Aircraft Down

Dear Fellow Aviator,

If you operate an aircraft with two VHF radios, I encourage you to always perform a listening watch on 121.5 on the second VHF radio. My company’s procedures mandate this procedure while inflight, unless briefly needed for calling another ATC facility or the company, etc. When I was flying as a pure civilian, non-airline, pilot I never monitored 121.5 on my other VHF radio, of which I normally had.

Below is a true event that occurred on a flight I was operating to Tokyo. I’ve included the letters I received from a couple that were affected by that “event.” The personal letters I’ve posted here are the nucleus to which this story is attached. They are the heart and soul of those involved directly and add a real world, personal touch to my plea about listening to 121.5 when able. The writer of the first letter explains eloquently what I’m not able to do even as I type this….Before reading the first letter, know, and I want to stress this, this story “is not about me and my F/O” and what we did….please, do NOT infer that. Anyone could have done what my F/O and I that day. What I am trying to convey, with emotion, is that by listening to 121.5, on your mostly dormant number two radio, you could save a life…

May 9, 2006

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I received your letter of 04/04/06 although it took it awhile to catch up with me. My aircraft registration is tied to my Aniak address, as that's where I base my airplane most of the time. After the conclusion of the winter trapping season, I retreat to the Kenai Peninsula, where I spend the remainder of the year. My mail is forwarded to my Soldotna address. This year, due to Justin's accident, my wife and I have remained in Anchorage to assist in our son's care and our mail has piled up as a result.

I found your letter during a recent trip to Soldotna. I've waited till our next trip home to reply as my handwriting suffers the same as yours and I haven't had access to a computer in Anchorage.

Justin's injuries were quite severe but we are extremely fortunate to have him with us at all. Both of his ankles were shattered, as were his tibia and fibula of his right leg. His right hip socket was badly broken. His left upper arm was fractured in three places and his left shoulder was badly broken. He fractured his sternum although it has not caused him any discomfort. His left eye was badly injured, requiring surgery anda titanium plate to repair his eye socket. He had a cervical spine injury that only required stabilization with a cervical collar for 3 weeks, but no corrective surgery. There were numerous lacerations on his face and hands, which had to be sutured. He also suffered second and third degree burns. Skin grafting was required on his back, shoulder, and thigh, with other burns to his right ear and neck that seem to be healing without skin grafting.

We feel so fortunate that all his injuries will eventually heal. Considering the extent of his injuries, it's a miracle he escaped serious internal injuries, brain damage, spinal injury, etc. He lost the use of his bicep following the trauma to his left arm and shoulder due to nerve damage. He is just beginning to regain movement in that arm and has just regained some slight bicep function, which is very encouraging. The vision continues to improve in his injured eye. It will be at least 2 more months before he can begin bearing weight on his legs and almost that long for his shoulder and arm.

It will be a long recovery proces but Justin is very competitive and highly self motivated. We are all optimistic he will be near 100 percent again.

I want to thank you for your kind words in the letter you wrote. I may have sounded composed on the radio, but as you can imagine, the turmoil just under the surface was nearly unbearable. I'm retired after a 24 year long career with the Alaska State Troopers. As a trooper, it was necessary to keep emotions from reaching the surface during a time of crisis. The more serious the crisis, the more important it became to maintain control. I have to admit, this one was a real test! No amount of training and experience could have prepared me for that night.

My son and I both had some guardian angels out there that night and you were the first. I can't possibly thank you enough for just being there and to have been monitoring 121.5. The fact that you were there, doing what you were doing, is the best example of a true professional in my view.

I normally have a list of local center frequencies at my fingertips in case of an emergency. There's enough high altitude IFR traffic in the region to ensure someone within radio range will likely be on one of several Center frequencies. As a VFR pilot, I don't have those committed to memory. I had recently removed that list as Justin had been flying my airplane and didn't like the clutter on my instrument panel. Consequently I didn't have the Bethel, Sparrevohn, Iliamna, or Dillingham center frequencies available and had to rely on 121.5 as my only hope to find help for my son. Impending darkness limited my ability to remain airborne for any length of time.

I don't know what we would have done without your help. Relaying my distress call and alerting Anchorage Center began the process that ultimately saved my son's life. He would not have survived through the night without rescue and medical attention. I could not have landed to help him without adding to the pile" and further complicating the problem. Leaving that crash site to go for help was undoubtedly the most difficult choice I've ever had to make. I knew that if by somne miracle he had survived the crash he would be badly injured and would be in desperate need of medical attention. I also realized he would require a lot more help than I could offer by myself. The Alaska Natl. Guard has several Rescue Squadrons in a high state of readiness and I believed Justin's only hope for survival would depend on getting those resources mobilized. Although it hurt me to have to leave him there alone, I know going for help was the right choice. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't be able to raise anyone on the radio. I thank God that you were there to hear my call for help.

The next few hours were the worst, not knowing if he was alive or dead. At our tiny trapping cabin I had a deep cycle battery and charger, plus a remote antenna for my satellite phone. I was able to have sat-phone communications through the night with family members and search & rescue personnel while awaiting word on the progress of rescue efforts. At around midnight our prayers were answered by news that Justin was alive and would be transported to Anchorage. He arrived at Providence Hospital shortly before 3:00 am on 03/22/06.

Justin has undergone seven major surgeries to repair broken bones plus skin grafts due to burns, but he will heal in due time. We thank the Lord for all the miracles that have fallen into place. The very first one was that you were there to hear my plea for assistance. For that fact I am eternally grateful and I can't thank you enough.

I am truly sorry to learn of the loss of your daughter. Even if only for a few hours, I can honestly say I understand the empty feeling such a loss can bring My heart goes out to you and your family. Your kind and compassionate words are an inspiration to us and I thank you for taking the time to write.

Ill enclose a newspaper article you may find of interest. Also the Providence Hospital provides a website on which patients and their families can post information.

Thank you again for all that you have done.

Sincerely,

May 9, 2006

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I hope you will indulge me. Although you wrote the letter to my husband Chuck and he has responded to your letter, I feel compelled to write you also. I do not have words to describe how excited I was when Chuck heard from you. There were numerous times that I wondered who the pilot was that answered Chuck's call for help. Chuck thought that it was a Fed-ex pilot, but he could not remember for certain. We were thinking of you while you were thinking of us.

It was important to me to have a connection with you because, aside from Chuck, you were the first link in the chain of events that ultimately saved our son's life. Again, I am a loss of words when I try to think of how I would describe to you my absolute unconditional love for my son and his importance in my life. He is, in his own right, an exceptional young man who is well loved and well thought of by many people. That this young man is my son seems incredible to me. I would love for his father, Chuck and me to take the credit for the man he is today, but he is his own person and deserves the credit for himself. For us to loose him would be an unbearable loss. So, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you a million times for being there that night, for monitoring that emergency frequency, for making those calls that Chuck asked you to make, and for caring enough to take the time to write a letter. Your letter renews my faith in mankind. It warms my heart to think of the truly good people, like you, that are out there in the world. The letter really meant a lot to both of us.

You mentioned families in your letter. Chuck and I have only one son, Justin. He does havea wife named Erika and they have been married five and one half years. We also have one daughter, Jessica, who is slightly younger than Justin. She too is married and has blessed us with two little grand daughters, ages four and two.

I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter. Although it was only a brief time that we thought we had indeed lost our son, the grief was nearly unbearable. I cannot imagine how people who loose a child endure that grief and come out on the other side of the darkness. But, look at you. You made it and are able to reach out to others in their time of sadness. You are truly an inspiration to us. There is a reason that God put you in our path and I do thank Him for that. Like Chuck said in his letter, many miracles occurred that night and I thank God for all of them, and especially for saving my son's life.

Chuck and Justin do enjoy the good relationship that they have with one another. They have lots of the same interests and participate in several activities together. Chuck is very grateful that he is able to have an active role in his son's life. I think their relationship with one another speaks well about both of them as men and I myself am very thankful for their relationship as well.

Thank-you again for your kindnesses and may God bless you and your family.

Warm regards,

The rest of the story….

On a March evening in 2006 my First Officer and I departed to Anchorage, AK for Tokyo. It was an odd time to depart for that destination then, and in fact in the 16 years since I’d began flying from Anchorage to Tokyo I’d never departed that late…maybe that was providence.

As you read above, as my F/O and I were nearing Bethel VOR, over Western Alaska, I heard a call on 121.5, which was tuned on the right VHF radio, asking for help. My F/O was flying this leg, but, he and I both heard the call.

I asked the pilot what help he needed and he said he needed to report the crash of an aircraft. I can’t relay to you how calm and professional this gentleman was. In his words he said, “The aircraft is a red and white Super Cub. It is burning and there is no sign of a survivor.” He then gave me some other information to include the LAT/LONG coordinates. I relayed all the pertinent information to Anchorage Center whereupon they immediately talked to the USAF.

The USAF eventually rescued the young man later that evening. He had actually crawled back to the aircraft after it was finished burning. He was thrown out of it upon crashing and cuddled next to the engine since it retained some latent heat and kept him somewhat warm as the freezing cold of the night tried to infiltrate his clothes.

I have kept in casual contact with the parents of Justin and am happy to report he has fully recovered from his injuries and added more children to his tribe. He and his dad are happily back to flying in the skies of Alaska together.

Finally...Oddly, my father, in the early 80s, was flying an FAA Convair 880 near the same area where I was flying in my MD-11, when he too heard an aircraft on 121.5 report an emergency. A Comanche pilot was flying with his family when his engine quit. He crash landed safely. My father and his crew orbited over the downed aircraft until a rescue was effected.

COPYRIGHT NOV. 11, 2021 Roger Blair Johnson