Splash saves missionaries
Pilot spots plane ditching; all aboard rescued from Bering Sea
By KRISTAN KELLY
Staff Writer
A group of missionaries returning from Russia after spreading the word about God were saved themselves Friday night. Technically, the group was saved by Nome pilots and rescue workers, but many of those involved in the rescue attributed the rescue to a higher power. All seven people aboard a twin engine Navajo survived after the plane ran out of gas and plunged into the Bering Sea about 23 miles off the coast of Nome Friday at about 7:20 p.m.
"There were too many variables that all fell into place. Call it divine intervention," said Terry Day, the Bering Air pilot who spotted the crash victims.
Day was flying near Nome when he thought he saw a whale splash out of the corner of his eye. Day did not give the matter much thought until he radioed Nome for landing clearance and was told a pilot was in trouble in the area.
"At that point a light bulb went off in my head. The splash was kind of unusual-every now and then you see a whale, but it's not very common," Day said.
Day, who had two people on board, immediately flew back to the area where he saw the splash. After about five to eight minutes, one of Day's passengers, Steve Flowers, spotted people in the water hanging on to empty blue plastic fuel jugs. Day said that even though he saw the splash, it was difficult to locate the crash victims because none wore bright clothing. Day, who was running low on fuel himself, radioed to Nome that helicopters were needed and warned the flight service station that he only had enough fuel to circle the crash area for about 10 more minutes.
"My biggest fear was if I left, they wouldn't be able to find them again," Day said.
Then another card fell into place.
Baker Aviation pilot Vie Olson,
who was flying near Nome, said he
had plenty of fuel and took over
marking the area until the helicopters arrived.
The fact that two helicopters
were in Nome was another coincidence, said rescuers.
Usually Evergreen Helicopter of Alaska has the only private helicopter in Nome. But on Friday a helicopter from Era Helicopters was in Nome. Both choppers were needed to ferry in the victims. The Alaska National Guard also has a helicopter in Nome, but it was on a mission.
"It was real lucky. It's real fortunate that I happened to be standing next to the phone when they called," said Evergreen pilot Eric Penttila.
Neither helicopter had equipment to land on the water, so the helicopters hovered over the water while Nome rescue workers leaned out and pulled the hypothermic crash victims on board. The victims were in the water between 50 and 70 minutes. Alaska State Troopers said the water temperature averages in the mid-30s this time of year. All were in various stages of hypothermia when they were rescued.
"I find it hard to believe they lasted that long in the water," Day said.
The group was treated at Norton Sound Regional Hospital. Pamela Swedderg, 30, of Soldotna; David Anderson, 49, of Phoenix, Ariz.; Cary Dietsche, 35, of Amery, Wis.; Brian Brasher, 24, of Okawville, Ill.; and Donald Wharton, 41, of Madison, Tenn., were all treated and released Friday.
Barbara Anderson, 51, of Phoenix, Ariz., and pilot David Cochrane, 70, of Kenai were released from the Nome hospital Saturday.
The plane had been chartered from Missionary Aviation Repair Center in Soldotna. It took off from Provideniya, Russia, and landed in Gambell on St. Lawrence Island before heading for Nome. The missionary group was scheduled to give a concert at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in North Pole this week, but canceled.
Day said the crash illustrates the need for search-and-rescue equipment in Nome.
"There is nobody here in town set up for emergency rescues. These people are extremely, extremely lucky to have been found. These people came in a hair-breadth of dying," Day said.
