A Rare Happy Ending

Toronto, Canada

From an alarmingly long list of plane crash stories, the GNG would like to present this one for our favorite reason: It has a happy ending.

Ed Robertson flies his own Cessna 206 floatplane. He's also the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies. Sunday afternoon, Robertson and three pass angers - reportedly his wife and two friends -took off from Baptiste Lake, Ontario. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft crashed in a wooded area near Bancroft. Ontario Provincial police Sgt. Bruce Quigg reports that none of the plane's occupants were injured.

Robertson's friend Gord Peel has said that the plane stalled, but Robertson was able to set it down gently, netted by trees with its nose resting on the ground. The pilot and passengers, shaken but unhurt, were able to exit through the aircraft's windows.

Barenaked Ladies manager Adam Smith said "Everyone is fine and that is the important thing," . . . That's all the comment we have at this time."


Special thanks to the Gander for this story.

Small Plane with Engine Trouble Lands on Highway - No Injuries

Ormond Beach, FL, US

A flight student and instructor decided to make an emergency landing on I-95 near Daytona Beach on Tuesday when their small plane developed engine problems. The emergency landing was a success, and no one one was injured.

To read more, visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368101,00.html

It's not much of a story, perhaps, until you consider that the overwhelming majority of news we hear about small planes is bad. And being married to a private pilot, I really appreciate this little stub of news.

Follow up: The single engine Cessna 150 is back in the air, after the airplane's owner made some repairs on the ground. The pilot took off from an impromptu runway consisting of 600 feet of I-95. To read more, visit http://www.wesh.com/news/16634189/detail.html