I Don't Think We're in Rhode Island Anymore

[Iroquois]

The silly idiot.

Thu, September 4, 2003


Pilot lands on road

Canada mistaken for Pennsylvania

By JASON TCHIR, TORONTO SUN




BUCKHORN -- An American pilot who landed his plane on a busy highway near Peterborough yesterday didn't know he was in Canada, a witness said. "I saw the plane coming down as I was driving around the corner, so I just stopped," said 18-year-old Ryan Madill, who was driving a truck on Peterborough County Rd. 36 at 11 a.m. when a single-engine Cessna sliced through a telephone pole and crashed into a ditch.

"After I went and opened the door of the airplane (and) he said, 'Where am I? Am I in the U.S?' "

EVERYONE LUCKY

Although the telephone pole smashed into Madill's windshield and another truck, driven by 79-year-old Ed Sheney of Bobcaygeon, swerved into the woods beside the highway to avoid hitting the plane, nobody was seriously hurt in the accident, OPP said.

"Everyone was fortunate. It's amazing," OPP Sgt. Gord Magee said at the scene. "All we got was a smashed windshield and a truck that ended up in the rhubarb."

While Magee said he couldn't release the pilot's name, a search using the aircraft's registration number revealed the plane belongs to Harold Hawley, who lives in Barker, N.Y., near Buffalo.

Peterborough Regional Health Centre confirmed that Hawley, 52, had been admitted to emergency and was later taken to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Hawley told police he believed he was over Pennsylvania when his 27-year-old plane ran out of fuel.

He said he had left from an airport in Rhode Island at 6:30 a.m. and was headed to Akron, N.Y..

"Somewhere, somehow, like Bugs Bunny, he missed a turn at Albuquerque," OPP spokesman Const. Bob LaFreniere said. "He certainly flew off his path."

A spokesman for Hydro One said power was knocked out for about 1,260 customers when the plane hit the hydro pole. It was restored within a few hours.

Transport Canada is investigating.

"We'll see if there were safety deficiencies with the plane or if there was pilot error," said agency spokesman Julie Iannetta.

Obviously he failed his IFR and ATC certifications.

[Lethal.Ambition]

But where wa ATC in all this? Telling it to land or at least alerting the AF for any possible terrorist attack

[ozzy72]

Do you think he'll be prosecuted for illegal entry into the country?

[Scottler]

I'm all for mandatory retesting of DRIVING elderly people, but this guy was neither elderly nor driving!!

[Iroquois]

Do you think he'll be prosecuted for illegal entry into the country?

ROFLMAO!! Yeah right, not in this country. I don't know where Arkon NY is but I still baffled on how he got that far off course. It's almost imposible to get lost in a plane these days, in this part of the world anyway.

[BFMF]

oops, wrong country

First off, he shouldn't have ran out of fuel, and should have always known where he was

[Iroquois]

I've just got an update on the story. Here's a picture an amature photographer shot just before the plane went down.


Several empty bottles of Hinekin were found amoungst the wreckage.

[goball65]

He sure don't know s..t about flying but he knows his beer!!!!!!!!!!!!lol
What's this about retesting old drivers???????
Hope hyperion means 85 and older..................

[Scottler]

Actually, since you mentioned it, here's what I'd like to see.

Mandatory driver retesting beginning at 65, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, and every year after 80.

[goball65]

Well in a lot of instances I agree however just turning 65 and having my licence renewed to 70 coupled with a minimal insurance rate with 100 deductible I guess my driving record is pretty good in the eyes of motor vehicle and insurance company.
I have been driving since I was 13 (8 years un-licenced) and at 21 finally got my ok to do it legally.
1 accident in 44 years (at a youing age).
While I still have my faculties I can still out drive these smart assed punks with muscle cars and attitudes and do it safely.
I also drive a few days a week doing car transport as far as Grand Rapids (Mi) and points north of where I live and I'll tell you if you can negotiate the 401 between my place and Toronto during rush hours without a scratch,you are doing damn well.
While ma few of my children tell me I am a lousy driver I respond with I'm still alive and my insurance rates are your wildest dreams.
Don't get me wrong - maybe I took this personally however don't suggest any more cash cows for the government to horn in on for extra $$$ in their coffers.

[Wing Nut]

Does this mean his fine will only be 6/10 of what it would be in the US?

[Travis]

You know, that was probably the most exciting thing that ever happened in that little area of Canada, and it had to be a SNAFU!

[Iroquois]

You know, that was probably the most exciting thing that ever happened in that little area of Canada, and it had to be a SNAFU!

Probably. There isn't really much north-east of Toronto until you get to Ottawa.

He sure don't know s..t about flying but he knows his beer!!!!!!!!!!!!lol

You'd better watch yourself. Take a closer look at the aircraft's ID on the tail.  ;D

Mandatory driver retesting beginning at 65, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, and every year after 80.

Where the heck did this come from?  ???

[Scottler]

Goball, I'm not suggesting that you lose your license at a certain age.  If the person can still drive safely, and it definitely sounds like you can, then you should be allowed to drive as long as you can.

But as we saw in California recently, not everyone is as fortunate as you.  And if some sort of testing had been done in this particular case, ten people, including some children, might still be alive.

The thing with this particular case that I found deplorable was that this was the gentleman's second or third accident of that nature.  "The brake didn't work."  Right.  When the brake fails, it makes the car go faster.

Like I said, if you're safe,  you're safe.  There's no denying that.  But if we can require our airline pilots to retire at a certain age, regardless of safety or ability, surely we can ask our drivers for a simple test.

[goball65]

I agree 100% with the philosophy on re-testing however like anything else we can't let 1 or 2 bad apples spoil the rest. But do it based on a history of bad driving skills.

We have a senior in our condo who's daughter had his doctor call in to the MV people and had his licence (her father's) revoked.
He went to another doctor who had it re-instated and the end result his wife after extended suffering died due to the results of him running a red light.

I am not familiar with his driving record however there certainly must have been key indicators that made his daughter take action which failed miserably.

My skills are greatly tested by the little blue haired older ladies wheeling arount Clearwater/St.Petes in Lincolns,Caddies  and all those other big fancy cars for 6 months of the year.

If we can't have them retested (where necessary) at least give them booster seats and pedal blocks. Nothing scares the daylights out of me more than one of these large cars bearing down on me with what appears to be nobody behind the wheel.

One of my neighbors in the park (83 yrs old) from Rochester had 2 bad accidents 2 years ago and guess what - both his fault and no sign of any retest.

It appears the insurance companies don't give a damn other than to raise his rates.

Mid October we'll be leaving for the south and I will have the best driving skills in our car for the 1400 mile trip - My Better 1/2.

have a good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!