As a career firefighter / rescue medic and a pilot, this was one of the most interesting stories I've had the pleasure of hearing. So happy you guys were not injured and even happier you had such an amazing support system helping you. I loved hearing about the amazing people at the resteront as well. Just a great story, with the best possible outcome.
Thank you so much for this. I feel very fortunate to have gone through this experience and come out unscathed. I was luckier still to have cameras rolling so that I now have the opportunity to share it. We got most things right and enough to live. I strive to do better if there is ever a next time. Thank you for watching and for your kind comments.
Best aviation video of the year 2023 (Parts 1 and 2) ! You were "lucky" enough to live this adventure and make this amazing video of it ! Paul is definitely the guy I would like to have on the seat next to mine. The Canadian SAR organization and the SAR Techs are outstanding too... I agree with Tom concerning twin engines (I own a Baron 55) : once the remaining engine brought me to a safe place. Continue the good work
A fantastic 2nd part to the series. Not only was this inspiring from an aviation perspective and appreciating the services and those around us that help us in times like this, but some of the words and lessons at the end are so applicable to daily life. Looking forward to more videos.
Thanks for watching. Yes, it is nice to know that there are highly capable people and organizations ready to spring into action when things go "down". We were very thankful for those services indeed.
One of the best saws out there is the Silky. Japanese, high quality and goes through wood like butter. I have one in my snowmobile. Great information you are providing.
Incredible series here. Extremely high production quality, a great story, and a very happy outcome. I hope this series gets the views it deserves! Thanks for sharing this story with us and helping us all become safer pilots.
I realize that there have yet to be any Skymaster adventures but we are fixing that. We have a half dozen shot and in various stages of editing. Our goal is to have the first Skymaster content out THIS WEEK!
What an amazing story. This has everything! Aviation, man and machine, professionalism, friendship, procedures, survival instinct. the c130 arriving like clockwork was my favourite. What an incredible story or professionalism from all people involved.
One of the most informative discussion related to SARs that I watched in a long time. Such that I shared the 3-Part with our COPA Flight 23 and Casara Unit here in North Bay area.
Thanks for the kind words Charles. We figured that since we were lucky and prepared enough to survive the ordeal the least we could do was "pay it forward" by getting the story out into the world. I submitted the written version of our story to COPA and they say they will run it in their magazine but that has yet to happen. Thanks for watching!
Wow! Just watched parts 1 and 2. You tell the story very well and I took away a bunch of great tips for my own preparedness. Thanks for sharing this. Really well done. Hopefully your future adventure flights are a bit less “eventful”!
Tom, a GREAT 2 part series. So GLAD all turned out well. CONGRATULATIONS to ALL involved. Much RESPECT and praise to all the rescuers. EVERY aviator ... students and experienced pilots ... should watch these two episodes. Very enlightening and educational. THANK YOU for sharing this experience so we all can learn.
Such a young channel. Such a huge impact. Thank you for these seriously informative and well made videos! I look forward to seeing what else you come up with!
Great to see tax dollars being utilized and applied properly to help some good people in a pinch. I used to fuel Tom's Skymaster at CYFD. Beautiful airplane. Glad to see you both came through without a major scrape.
Great videos. Thanks for doing them. Now you need to do a video discussing what you carry in your survival kit. Having been through a survival situation, you have a much better appreciation of what is useful than we who have not.
I agree and we are planning on doing a couple of follow up episodes where I will dive further into the survival aspects of airplane travel and adventuring in general. There will definitely be one on survival kits and training. Thanks for watching and for the feedback.
Wow! I got recommended this vid off of your Instagram reels post at 2am and thought eh what the heck. These two vids did not disappoint! This is probably the best, coolest, most interesting and informative videos from a first hand experience I've watched in my 10+ years of binging TH-cam almost everyday. Your story with the c130 and the rescuers had me smiling and laughing on what is a less than ideal scenario to say the least. Definitely is a great learning experience and will have me second-guessing what items I should bring with me when I fly from now on, especially in a colder climate. So glad to hear both of you were safe and shared this amazing experience! Will definitely be sharing with some other pilot friends of mine. All the best in the future and safe travels!!
I fly an SR20 routinely from NB across Northern ME and into QC and Southern ON. I’ve always been marginally reassured of survival of an engine failure thanks to CAPS, but I’ve never taken seriously the “what happens next” when I’m on the ground in the woods in remote Northern ME in the middle of the winter with NO SURVIVAL GEAR! What the heck was I thinking?? After watching your videos, I ordered a bunch of survival equipment and I will be putting together a survival bag that will be with me every time I fly. Until now, I have flown all winter long in a low cut hiking shoe that isn’t waterproof…not anymore. Thanks for sharing your incredible story and for lighting a fire under my a$$ to take survival more seriously.
Hello Ben. Your response makes me very happy that I put the time in on this project. This past weekend I spent a bunch of time putting together mini survival kits to be "more prepared". Sure, a big ol' survival bag is great IF you manage to get it out of the plane before it sinks through the ice or is consumed by fire. What if you just get out with what you are wearing, attached to you or in your pockets? Me and Paul's experience on the ice really made me think long and hard about this stuff and I am happy that others are thinking about it as well. Your comment and others like it make me realize that I need to shoot a future episode all about survival gear, planning and perhaps training too. Thanks for watching!
Good talking to you today at the hangar. Watched both parts/videos of the Lake forced landing and rescue. Part2 was incredible, the air search and rescue team was really Impressive.
Thanks for watching Blaine and for all the encouragement and support over the years. I probably wouldn't have started this thing if you hadn't said just get off your a$$ and start... Thank you for that!
Thanks for this. Yes, Paul was just about the best possible PIC that a guy could ask for in a situation like this. I have learned so much from him and feel lucky every time I get to share a cockpit with him. I have forwarded your message to him.
Thank you fo sharing the experience and the learnings. Very well told. Well done on all accounts to both of you. Also congrats on starting the channel. As fascinating as this two part episode was, I truly hope future ones do not include another such experience! Well done Tom and Paul.
Great set of videos on winter survival and what to do and pack for survival. Now in the aftermath what happened to the a/c? How did that get out and also the 300+ kilos of SAR stuff?
As a glider pilot first, I'm surprised that pilots will fly over an extended forest, say, too low to make it to an open field. Why not circle to a higher altitude, then fly over the inhospitable terrain? Similar reasoning to flying the PAPI on a VFR day... You can't make it on a 3 degree glide slope if your engine quits.
Curious what happened to the aircraft after the winter forced landing? What caused the engine to die? Did the Canadian Forces ever go back and reclaim their toboggan and gear?
Good question and I agree that the more pilots who hear this story the better. Airfacts ran my article back in September - airfactsjournal.com/2023/09/my-lake-rescue-in-northern-ontario/and that led to an interview on the Pilot's Discretion Podcast with John Zimmerman - www.sportys.com/blog/episode-60-surviving-a-plane-crash-on-a-frozen-lake-with-tom-comet/. COPA has the written version of the story and say they will be publishing it soon. It is also available on my web site here - tomair.tv/lake-rescue/ . I didn't submit it to AOPA but perhaps I should.
I agree with you about well maintained single engine airplanes for sure. The issue with this one may have been that it wasn't our airplane and we didn't necessarily know the entire history on it. I confidently fly single engine airplanes all the time but I also fly them a little differently than I do my Cessna 337 twin.
Crazy story but I'm glad you guys are ok! What lake did you guys put the plane down on? I know the area well. I'm from Manitoulin island and spend a lot of time up where you guys were at a friend's Fly in/snomobile access camp.
Very impressed with all the emergency services provided. Thanks for sharing. Tom is the most safety conscious person I have worked with so very interesting to be reminded not to take preparedness for granted. What happened to the plane?
Thanks for this. We went back and retrieved the plane with a very large helicopter a week after the incident. There was no damage apart from the destroyed engine and she is now awaiting a new one. She will live to fly another day!
@@Blackcreekstudios Unfortunately I was not able to attend the plane retrieval but there is some footage and photos and I will try to put together a follow up video about that.
So I watched both part one and part two as somebody who has 3000 flight hours in helicopters what was the cause of the engine failure? and how did you get it out of the lake how long did it take you? and I will say you guys were definitely prepared awesome job guys Dan USNRT 42 years with Navy High Mt SAR 🇺🇸😎
Most of the answers to your questions about what failed and how we got it out can be found here - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zowdTLZU4AcAi7j2 . Thanks for watching!
Very interesting! And I am not an aviation enthusiast, I just stumbled on this video. How did you get the plane off the lake? Edit: I found the video of the airplane rescue!
Excellent points made and a zillion teaching moments. This should be a must watch for every pilot, no matter what climate that fly in. Just not having enough water could be a killer. Side question: what caused the engine failure in the Buccaneer?
This video series was very well done, excellent explanation and combined footage. The very experienced pilots were well equipped and prepared for their emergency crash landing. Congratulations, you stated in the video most pilots are ill prepared. Great job given to the SAR Techs and crew of the Hurc that responded and provided such amazing and professional care. Things they could have done better 1) Get off the ice - Exposed to winds and being on ice before rescue is not a good idea, the survival triangle is: Fire, Water, Shelter, not necessarily in that order. They should have moved to the edge of the lake, close to fire fuel and sheltered from the wind and insulated from the ice. 2) They never set up a shelter - you always set up a shelter no matter how fast you think rescue will be. It's also best to do so when still light out vs try to do that in the dark with lights. Complete fail 1) Why did the OPP arrive solo? He should have never ventured out to find them on his own. Where was the SAR team? You never go out alone period let alone for a rescue; the OPP also had no real gear to assist when he found them so what was the point of the snowshoe walk by himself. What if they were injured? Hypothermic? 2) Poor communication with the military and the OPP - the ground team should have known they were found with SAR Techs and in a shelter and uninjured. 3) The worst thing they did was tear down their camp in the middle of the night. What in the world were they thinking agreeing with the OPP? They had a shelter, were warm, had food and water, there was no reason to leave. I would have waited for the military to return and talk to them with a ground to air radio and received further instructions on if a Cormorant was going to arrive/wx dependent. If they had to walk out they should only have done so in the daylight, they were all tired, high risk of injury, and had to leave essential gear behind for no reason at all. They should have stayed where they were as they probably had food for at least 3 days for all of them. The OPP could have been given a sleeping bag, a meal and drink and hunkered down with the rest of them. My background: 32yrs private pilot, 6 years Canadian Military Airborne Medic with 3 weeks arctic survival training and routinely used snowshoes, arctic tents and ski’ while posted at CFB Petawawa. 7yrs ground SAR, - trained military spotter with 50 hrs in a Labrador and 25 hrs training and active search time with 442 Search and Rescue Squadron. 5 yrs. CASARA. 19yrs as a street Paramedic and 8 years as a Rescue Specialist Diver with the Canadian Coast Guard. Underwater Egress Instructor. Trauma Instructor, Avalanche Rescue, Ski Patrol.
In reply to your well thought out comments... My replies in CAPS so they stand out, not because I am yelling... 1) Get off the ice - Exposed to winds and being on ice before rescue is not a good idea, the survival triangle is: Fire, Water, Shelter, not necessarily in that order. They should have moved to the edge of the lake, close to fire fuel and sheltered from the wind and insulated from the ice. THE EDGE OF THE LAKE WAS PURE SLUSH AND THE LAND WAS VERY THICK BUSH. THERE WAS LITTLE WIND AND WE WERE COMFORTABLE ON THE ICE. WE EMPLOYED THE "STAY WITH THE AIRCRAFT" MENTALITY. 2) They never set up a shelter - you always set up a shelter no matter how fast you think rescue will be. It's also best to do so when still light out vs try to do that in the dark with lights. Complete fail THE PLANE WAS OUR SHELTER IF NEED BE. WE HAD THAT READY TO GO WITH THE WING COVERS AND SLEEPING BAGS. 1) Why did the OPP arrive solo? He should have never ventured out to find them on his own. Where was the SAR team? You never go out alone period let alone for a rescue; the OPP also had no real gear to assist when he found them so what was the point of the snowshoe walk by himself. What if they were injured? Hypothermic? I AGREE THAT THIS WAS A BIT STRANGE. 2) Poor communication with the military and the OPP - the ground team should have known they were found with SAR Techs and in a shelter and uninjured. ONCE OPP GOT THERE WE HAD COMS AGAIN AND COORDINATION. SAR COMS DID NOT FUNCTION. 3) The worst thing they did was tear down their camp in the middle of the night. What in the world were they thinking agreeing with the OPP? They had a shelter, were warm, had food and water, there was no reason to leave. I would have waited for the military to return and talk to them with a ground to air radio and received further instructions on if a Cormorant was going to arrive/wx dependent. If they had to walk out they should only have done so in the daylight, they were all tired, high risk of injury, and had to leave essential gear behind for no reason at all. They should have stayed where they were as they probably had food for at least 3 days for all of them. The OPP could have been given a sleeping bag, a meal and drink and hunkered down with the rest of them. OPP WAS GIVEN FOOD AND DRINK FOR SURE. I AGREE THAT BREAKING CAMP AT NIGHT WAS A STRANGE AND POSSIBLY NOT GREAT CHOICE.
I was not there so I can only go on your video and interview. Every situation must be evaluated. I am surprised the edge was slush as you must have been able to get firewood and traverse to land when you broke camp so that is a bit odd to read. As far as staying with the plane, I would agree you should stay close to the aircraft as it will typically be seen first; You had set up signal fires, had strobe lights and when Rescue arrived turned on the airplane strobes and lights so I'm pretty sure you were easy to spot. I still think you should have moved off the ice but that is just my option. If the wx had changed - winds picked up and temps dropped as it can you may have had difficulty setting up tarps under the wings. There is also no insulation from the elements, being in the bush you could dig a snow trench using the snow as an insulator. You mentioned a few of my comments about things that were not done as I felt they should have you thought were "strange" - didn't anyone question the OPP officer? Why didn't the SAR techs just say no to breaking camp? There was no rush or emergency to get off the ice, again injury could have easily happened on the return trip. In any event everything ended up working out in the end. I would recommend carrying a portable VHF Air radio in future - I always have one with me. Also ditch the tarps and just by a small lightweight tent. Best and safe flying :) @@tomairtv
We pulled the plane out of the ice with a giant helicopter and she is awaiting a new engine. We will be doing an episode on this shortly. Thanks for watching!
Good to see some pilots at least halfway prepared. You could have been out there for a long time and still have been ok. But, don't get over confident just because you fly a twin. A lot of pilots get killed by their twins because they are not proficient in handling an engine out scenario. We had a 310 fatal in Nevada last week... density altitude, and turning into the dead engine bit him.
I agree with what you say about twin engine aircraft in general. Thankfully the 337 is VERY docile in an engine out scenario due to its centreline thrust. However, staying practiced and current is a MUST! Always Be Prepared!!!
We kind of feel that same way and we never did get a real answer to that. I suppose they determined that we were fit and able and, perhaps, the resources were needed elsewhere. The sooner you can get one rescue done the sooner you can move on to the next one...
I crashed in the desert...tough walk out to Cal Black airport, lake Powell. Always follow roads....always. TH-cam: "Cyrus Thomas I follow roads episode 1"
I hope you carry firearms when flying over those areas.Glad you didn’t encounter any bears or other dangerous animals. Your guardian angels were with you on that flight,and your glider experience and calm thinking helped.IMO
This is the most Canadian videos. Paul is the best possible person to have had as pilot. Wow. Love Cdn Forces. Love CFB Trent. Glass everyone is well. Great take aways. Can we get your lists of emerg supplies. 🇨🇦🙏🏻🫶🏼
This is probably one of the best GA related series in the internet right now!! Greetings from Spain!!!
Thank you!
As a career firefighter / rescue medic and a pilot, this was one of the most interesting stories I've had the pleasure of hearing. So happy you guys were not injured and even happier you had such an amazing support system helping you. I loved hearing about the amazing people at the resteront as well. Just a great story, with the best possible outcome.
Thank you so much for this. I feel very fortunate to have gone through this experience and come out unscathed. I was luckier still to have cameras rolling so that I now have the opportunity to share it. We got most things right and enough to live. I strive to do better if there is ever a next time. Thank you for watching and for your kind comments.
Best aviation video of the year 2023 (Parts 1 and 2) ! You were "lucky" enough to live this adventure and make this amazing video of it ! Paul is definitely the guy I would like to have on the seat next to mine. The Canadian SAR organization and the SAR Techs are outstanding too... I agree with Tom concerning twin engines (I own a Baron 55) : once the remaining engine brought me to a safe place. Continue the good work
Hello. Thank you so much for the comments. Yes indeed, Paul was just about the best possible guy to be sitting next to for an event like this.
Never been excited about stuff from Canada. But their rescue units was the BOMB!! Most excellent!!
This is a great message. Thank you for getting this out there. I'm positive you're starting conversations on preparedness in many disciplines.
Hi Wayne. Thank you for your comment and for watching. Yes, the hope is that we can all learn from what Paul and I did right and wrong.
A fantastic 2nd part to the series. Not only was this inspiring from an aviation perspective and appreciating the services and those around us that help us in times like this, but some of the words and lessons at the end are so applicable to daily life. Looking forward to more videos.
Thanks for watching. Yes, it is nice to know that there are highly capable people and organizations ready to spring into action when things go "down". We were very thankful for those services indeed.
Well done, referring to both the handling of the emergency, as well as the videos…looking forward to seeing the Lake recovery video.
We are working on it. I just need to get me and Paul's schedules to line up and we can get it out.
This is a fascinating story even without any of the aviation part.
It was a real interesting story to be a part of. That's for sure. Thanks for watching!
One of the best saws out there is the Silky. Japanese, high quality and goes through wood like butter. I have one in my snowmobile. Great information you are providing.
Funny, I just bought a Silky the other day and I love it.
Incredible series here. Extremely high production quality, a great story, and a very happy outcome. I hope this series gets the views it deserves! Thanks for sharing this story with us and helping us all become safer pilots.
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to watch the series. We were lucky and I am thankful for the ability to share this content.
Great story !! well done
Looking forward to you’re sky master adventures. Gr8 story.
I realize that there have yet to be any Skymaster adventures but we are fixing that. We have a half dozen shot and in various stages of editing. Our goal is to have the first Skymaster content out THIS WEEK!
What an amazing story. This has everything! Aviation, man and machine, professionalism, friendship, procedures, survival instinct. the c130 arriving like clockwork was my favourite. What an incredible story or professionalism from all people involved.
Thank you for those very kind words. I appreciate that very much and I will pass this on to Paul as well.
One of the most informative discussion related to SARs that I watched in a long time. Such that I shared the 3-Part with our COPA Flight 23 and Casara Unit here in North Bay area.
Thanks for the kind words Charles. We figured that since we were lucky and prepared enough to survive the ordeal the least we could do was "pay it forward" by getting the story out into the world. I submitted the written version of our story to COPA and they say they will run it in their magazine but that has yet to happen. Thanks for watching!
Well done video. Thanks.
Not a pilot (but an aviation buff) but really enjoyed this. Well told, explained and learned a lot. Good job by all.
Wow! Just watched parts 1 and 2. You tell the story very well and I took away a bunch of great tips for my own preparedness. Thanks for sharing this. Really well done. Hopefully your future adventure flights are a bit less “eventful”!
Tom, a GREAT 2 part series. So GLAD all turned out well. CONGRATULATIONS to ALL involved. Much RESPECT and praise to all the rescuers. EVERY aviator ... students and experienced pilots ... should watch these two episodes. Very enlightening and educational. THANK YOU for sharing this experience so we all can learn.
Thank you so much for your kind remarks and for watching.
Such a young channel. Such a huge impact. Thank you for these seriously informative and well made videos! I look forward to seeing what else you come up with!
Thank you for the kind words. Yes, more Skymaster content to come!
Great to see tax dollars being utilized and applied properly to help some good people in a pinch. I used to fuel Tom's Skymaster at CYFD. Beautiful airplane. Glad to see you both came through without a major scrape.
Thanks for watching and for the gas back at CYFD. I am still based there and I love that little airport.
Great videos. Thanks for doing them. Now you need to do a video discussing what you carry in your survival kit. Having been through a survival situation, you have a much better appreciation of what is useful than we who have not.
I agree and we are planning on doing a couple of follow up episodes where I will dive further into the survival aspects of airplane travel and adventuring in general. There will definitely be one on survival kits and training. Thanks for watching and for the feedback.
Great channel and videos.
Thank you so much!
Wow! I got recommended this vid off of your Instagram reels post at 2am and thought eh what the heck. These two vids did not disappoint! This is probably the best, coolest, most interesting and informative videos from a first hand experience I've watched in my 10+ years of binging TH-cam almost everyday. Your story with the c130 and the rescuers had me smiling and laughing on what is a less than ideal scenario to say the least. Definitely is a great learning experience and will have me second-guessing what items I should bring with me when I fly from now on, especially in a colder climate. So glad to hear both of you were safe and shared this amazing experience! Will definitely be sharing with some other pilot friends of mine. All the best in the future and safe travels!!
Thank you for watching and for the kind words. Yes, we were very lucky and luckier still to have the cameras rolling when this incident took place.
This was an amazing story - Thanks for filming and posting this!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
This is an amazing story, glad you were able to get footage🙆🏾♂️🙏🏾We can all learn a thing or two from this. Thanks for sharing Tom!
Thank you for the kind words!
Incredible services that you have. Amazing.
I fly an SR20 routinely from NB across Northern ME and into QC and Southern ON. I’ve always been marginally reassured of survival of an engine failure thanks to CAPS, but I’ve never taken seriously the “what happens next” when I’m on the ground in the woods in remote Northern ME in the middle of the winter with NO SURVIVAL GEAR! What the heck was I thinking?? After watching your videos, I ordered a bunch of survival equipment and I will be putting together a survival bag that will be with me every time I fly. Until now, I have flown all winter long in a low cut hiking shoe that isn’t waterproof…not anymore. Thanks for sharing your incredible story and for lighting a fire under my a$$ to take survival more seriously.
Hello Ben. Your response makes me very happy that I put the time in on this project. This past weekend I spent a bunch of time putting together mini survival kits to be "more prepared". Sure, a big ol' survival bag is great IF you manage to get it out of the plane before it sinks through the ice or is consumed by fire. What if you just get out with what you are wearing, attached to you or in your pockets? Me and Paul's experience on the ice really made me think long and hard about this stuff and I am happy that others are thinking about it as well. Your comment and others like it make me realize that I need to shoot a future episode all about survival gear, planning and perhaps training too.
Thanks for watching!
Good talking to you today at the hangar. Watched both parts/videos of the
Lake forced landing and rescue. Part2 was incredible, the air search and rescue team was really Impressive.
It was great to meet you the other day and thanks for watching Fred. Yes, those SAR Techs were AMAZING!!!
Well done my CA friends. Great airmanship all around.
Thank you!
Excellent video, thank you. I live in sunny South Florida, can you put together a list of everything you had and another of what you wish you had?
Great story.
Wow! An amazing adventure! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!!!
Thanks for watching!
Very cool story and interesting -- I learned a lot. What an adventure!
Thanks for watching Blaine and for all the encouragement and support over the years. I probably wouldn't have started this thing if you hadn't said just get off your a$$ and start... Thank you for that!
Lets get this channel monetized - Subscribed. The content of this channel so far is stellar. Look forward to see more :)
Wow, thanks for that. I was thinking of turning on monetization but I will probably wait till I get more vids out and have more followers.
This was an excellent video!
Thank you!
Great rescue and details, adventure of a life time .
It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Hi Paul: Thanks for the great video. What great preparation and excellent execution. So glad this all turned out well. G Silver, MD
Thanks for this. Yes, Paul was just about the best possible PIC that a guy could ask for in a situation like this. I have learned so much from him and feel lucky every time I get to share a cockpit with him. I have forwarded your message to him.
Thank you fo sharing the experience and the learnings. Very well told. Well done on all accounts to both of you. Also congrats on starting the channel. As fascinating as this two part episode was, I truly hope future ones do not include another such experience! Well done Tom and Paul.
Amazing rescue and good operation for making a safe landing.
Thank you!
Great video. I woulda declined leaving the safety of fire plane and equipment.
Those whole story is incredible!! Such a Canadian way to be rescued! Haha
I did feel very patriotic about the whole experience. Thanks for watching!
Great set of videos on winter survival and what to do and pack for survival. Now in the aftermath what happened to the a/c? How did that get out and also the 300+ kilos of SAR stuff?
There will be a follow up video on FFPB coming out within a week with all the answers...
This is an incredible video! I’m going to share with as many pilots as I can. I fly out of Ottawa.
I fly to Ottawa often and we have a video where we go to Ottawa coming out soon. Maybe I will see you there.
@@tomairtv I've always been interested in 337's. Do you fly into YOW, YRP or YRO?
Should be required content for every pilot to watch ! 👍Thanks. BTW what caused the Lake engine to fail?
Thank you. Most of the "why did it happen" can be found in this follow up episode - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zkpAOOzBdiEKLdRV
As a glider pilot first, I'm surprised that pilots will fly over an extended forest, say, too low to make it to an open field. Why not circle to a higher altitude, then fly over the inhospitable terrain?
Similar reasoning to flying the PAPI on a VFR day... You can't make it on a 3 degree glide slope if your engine quits.
Incredible!
What a superb story. Glad it all went so well and that you both are okay! And Merry Christmas 🎄🎁!
Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas to you as well.
That was a great video! Very informative........ But what happened to the plane?
Thanks for watching. I will be doing a follow up episode with the story of what happened to the plane soon. All will be revealed...
@@tomairtv I was wondering the same, how did you recover the plane. I look forward to that episode
Curious what happened to the aircraft after the winter forced landing? What caused the engine to die? Did the Canadian Forces ever go back and reclaim their toboggan and gear?
We are working on a follow up video that will cover this aspect of the story. Stay tuned!
great video, thank you, Can I ask what ended up happening to the airplane?
th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zowdTLZU4AcAi7j2
Great story!
Have you been approached by COPA or AOPA to recount your experience? Just listening to this series of videos was a goldmine of knowledge!
Good question and I agree that the more pilots who hear this story the better. Airfacts ran my article back in September - airfactsjournal.com/2023/09/my-lake-rescue-in-northern-ontario/and that led to an interview on the Pilot's Discretion Podcast with John Zimmerman - www.sportys.com/blog/episode-60-surviving-a-plane-crash-on-a-frozen-lake-with-tom-comet/. COPA has the written version of the story and say they will be publishing it soon. It is also available on my web site here - tomair.tv/lake-rescue/ . I didn't submit it to AOPA but perhaps I should.
Good work and good story. There is nothing wrong with a well maintained single engine machine btw.
I agree with you about well maintained single engine airplanes for sure. The issue with this one may have been that it wasn't our airplane and we didn't necessarily know the entire history on it. I confidently fly single engine airplanes all the time but I also fly them a little differently than I do my Cessna 337 twin.
Crazy story but I'm glad you guys are ok! What lake did you guys put the plane down on? I know the area well. I'm from Manitoulin island and spend a lot of time up where you guys were at a friend's Fly in/snomobile access camp.
Very impressed with all the emergency services provided. Thanks for sharing. Tom is the most safety conscious person I have worked with so very interesting to be reminded not to take preparedness for granted. What happened to the plane?
Thanks for this. We went back and retrieved the plane with a very large helicopter a week after the incident. There was no damage apart from the destroyed engine and she is now awaiting a new one. She will live to fly another day!
@@tomairtv I hope you had an opportunity to film the plane rescue. I’d love to see that .
@@Blackcreekstudios Unfortunately I was not able to attend the plane retrieval but there is some footage and photos and I will try to put together a follow up video about that.
So I watched both part one and part two as somebody who has 3000 flight hours in helicopters what was the cause of the engine failure? and how did you get it out of the lake how long did it take you? and I will say you guys were definitely prepared awesome job guys Dan USNRT 42 years with Navy High Mt SAR 🇺🇸😎
Most of the answers to your questions about what failed and how we got it out can be found here - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zowdTLZU4AcAi7j2 . Thanks for watching!
Btw: what failed on the engine?
The engine has yet to be torn down so we don't know at this point. I will post a follow up when we have this information as a lot of folks are asking.
Very interesting! And I am not an aviation enthusiast, I just stumbled on this video. How did you get the plane off the lake? Edit: I found the video of the airplane rescue!
Excellent points made and a zillion teaching moments. This should be a must watch for every pilot, no matter what climate that fly in. Just not having enough water could be a killer. Side question: what caused the engine failure in the Buccaneer?
We will be posting a follow up video this week letting folks know more about what happened with FFPB.
Great videos! Is there going to be a followup video getting the aircraft off the lake?
There is and it is on live on the channel now. Check it out here - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=aEq2bLfUu0_DVQvJ
This video series was very well done, excellent explanation and combined footage. The very experienced pilots were well equipped and prepared for their emergency crash landing. Congratulations, you stated in the video most pilots are ill prepared. Great job given to the SAR Techs and crew of the Hurc that responded and provided such amazing and professional care.
Things they could have done better
1) Get off the ice - Exposed to winds and being on ice before rescue is not a good idea, the survival triangle is: Fire, Water, Shelter, not necessarily in that order. They should have moved to the edge of the lake, close to fire fuel and sheltered from the wind and insulated from the ice.
2) They never set up a shelter - you always set up a shelter no matter how fast you think rescue will be. It's also best to do so when still light out vs try to do that in the dark with lights.
Complete fail
1) Why did the OPP arrive solo? He should have never ventured out to find them on his own. Where was the SAR team? You never go out alone period let alone for a rescue; the OPP also had no real gear to assist when he found them so what was the point of the snowshoe walk by himself. What if they were injured? Hypothermic?
2) Poor communication with the military and the OPP - the ground team should have known they were found with SAR Techs and in a shelter and uninjured.
3) The worst thing they did was tear down their camp in the middle of the night. What in the world were they thinking agreeing with the OPP? They had a shelter, were warm, had food and water, there was no reason to leave. I would have waited for the military to return and talk to them with a ground to air radio and received further instructions on if a Cormorant was going to arrive/wx dependent. If they had to walk out they should only have done so in the daylight, they were all tired, high risk of injury, and had to leave essential gear behind for no reason at all. They should have stayed where they were as they probably had food for at least 3 days for all of them. The OPP could have been given a sleeping bag, a meal and drink and hunkered down with the rest of them.
My background: 32yrs private pilot, 6 years Canadian Military Airborne Medic with 3 weeks arctic survival training and routinely used snowshoes, arctic tents and ski’ while posted at CFB Petawawa. 7yrs ground SAR, - trained military spotter with 50 hrs in a Labrador and 25 hrs training and active search time with 442 Search and Rescue Squadron. 5 yrs. CASARA. 19yrs as a street Paramedic and 8 years as a Rescue Specialist Diver with the Canadian Coast Guard. Underwater Egress Instructor. Trauma Instructor, Avalanche Rescue, Ski Patrol.
In reply to your well thought out comments... My replies in CAPS so they stand out, not because I am yelling...
1) Get off the ice - Exposed to winds and being on ice before rescue is not a good idea, the survival triangle is: Fire, Water, Shelter, not necessarily in that order. They should have moved to the edge of the lake, close to fire fuel and sheltered from the wind and insulated from the ice.
THE EDGE OF THE LAKE WAS PURE SLUSH AND THE LAND WAS VERY THICK BUSH. THERE WAS LITTLE WIND AND WE WERE COMFORTABLE ON THE ICE. WE EMPLOYED THE "STAY WITH THE AIRCRAFT" MENTALITY.
2) They never set up a shelter - you always set up a shelter no matter how fast you think rescue will be. It's also best to do so when still light out vs try to do that in the dark with lights.
Complete fail
THE PLANE WAS OUR SHELTER IF NEED BE. WE HAD THAT READY TO GO WITH THE WING COVERS AND SLEEPING BAGS.
1) Why did the OPP arrive solo? He should have never ventured out to find them on his own. Where was the SAR team? You never go out alone period let alone for a rescue; the OPP also had no real gear to assist when he found them so what was the point of the snowshoe walk by himself. What if they were injured? Hypothermic?
I AGREE THAT THIS WAS A BIT STRANGE.
2) Poor communication with the military and the OPP - the ground team should have known they were found with SAR Techs and in a shelter and uninjured.
ONCE OPP GOT THERE WE HAD COMS AGAIN AND COORDINATION. SAR COMS DID NOT FUNCTION.
3) The worst thing they did was tear down their camp in the middle of the night. What in the world were they thinking agreeing with the OPP? They had a shelter, were warm, had food and water, there was no reason to leave. I would have waited for the military to return and talk to them with a ground to air radio and received further instructions on if a Cormorant was going to arrive/wx dependent. If they had to walk out they should only have done so in the daylight, they were all tired, high risk of injury, and had to leave essential gear behind for no reason at all. They should have stayed where they were as they probably had food for at least 3 days for all of them. The OPP could have been given a sleeping bag, a meal and drink and hunkered down with the rest of them.
OPP WAS GIVEN FOOD AND DRINK FOR SURE. I AGREE THAT BREAKING CAMP AT NIGHT WAS A STRANGE AND POSSIBLY NOT GREAT CHOICE.
I was not there so I can only go on your video and interview. Every situation must be evaluated. I am surprised the edge was slush as you must have been able to get firewood and traverse to land when you broke camp so that is a bit odd to read. As far as staying with the plane, I would agree you should stay close to the aircraft as it will typically be seen first; You had set up signal fires, had strobe lights and when Rescue arrived turned on the airplane strobes and lights so I'm pretty sure you were easy to spot. I still think you should have moved off the ice but that is just my option. If the wx had changed - winds picked up and temps dropped as it can you may have had difficulty setting up tarps under the wings. There is also no insulation from the elements, being in the bush you could dig a snow trench using the snow as an insulator. You mentioned a few of my comments about things that were not done as I felt they should have you thought were "strange" - didn't anyone question the OPP officer? Why didn't the SAR techs just say no to breaking camp? There was no rush or emergency to get off the ice, again injury could have easily happened on the return trip. In any event everything ended up working out in the end. I would recommend carrying a portable VHF Air radio in future - I always have one with me. Also ditch the tarps and just by a small lightweight tent. Best and safe flying :) @@tomairtv
What great content and production value. I only wish you already had hours of video posted. I am wondering how and when the airplane was recovered?
That video is coming out next week. We have yours of other video recorded and are working on the editing.
What ever happened to the downed aircraft, was it recovered? Enjoyed the rescue video.
It was pulled out by a VERY large helicopter and will fly again. There will be a follow up episode about this next week.
If you had doubles you could have done a nice ice dive whilst waiting.😁✌
Yeah, I guess I neglected to pack those...
Were you able to retrieve the airplane?
We did and will be posting a video of that within a week.
Can you post the contents of your emergency pack? And the items you deleted?
I am going to do a few episodes on survival gear and how we changed our thinking that way. Hold on for that.
Oh by the way, do you know what was the issue that made the engine die?
Most of the answers to this question can be found here - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-k8X0hnCYkylEdq1
Will there be a part three with how everything was recovered?
We flew it out with a very large helicopter.
@@tomairtvvideo of this ?
Yes there will be @@AlexLplus
Price of that plane just skyrocketed!@@tomairtv
What happen to the plane?
th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zowdTLZU4AcAi7j2
You guys really were prepared for this. Great story with a great outcome. What happened to the plane?
We pulled the plane out of the ice with a giant helicopter and she is awaiting a new engine. We will be doing an episode on this shortly. Thanks for watching!
@@tomairtv Hate to see that bill! Thanks for responding
Here is what we know about the Lake Buccaneer engine failure and how we got it off the ice - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.html
Good to see some pilots at least halfway prepared. You could have been out there for a long time and still have been ok. But, don't get over confident just because you fly a twin. A lot of pilots get killed by their twins because they are not proficient in handling an engine out scenario. We had a 310 fatal in Nevada last week... density altitude, and turning into the dead engine bit him.
I agree with what you say about twin engine aircraft in general. Thankfully the 337 is VERY docile in an engine out scenario due to its centreline thrust. However, staying practiced and current is a MUST! Always Be Prepared!!!
What happened to the plane
Great question… find out here - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vAUjSAiKcch6HxfF
Хороший рассказ👍
Ok …so what is “sucking drag”? Can anybody enlighten me?
Should have just slept through the night. What gave the opp guy the idea that risking a night hike was best?
We kind of feel that same way and we never did get a real answer to that. I suppose they determined that we were fit and able and, perhaps, the resources were needed elsewhere. The sooner you can get one rescue done the sooner you can move on to the next one...
I crashed in the desert...tough walk out to Cal Black airport, lake Powell. Always follow roads....always. TH-cam: "Cyrus Thomas I follow roads episode 1"
I will check that out.
I hope you carry firearms when flying over those areas.Glad you didn’t encounter any bears or other dangerous animals. Your guardian angels were with you on that flight,and your glider experience and calm thinking helped.IMO
We carry different items depending on where we are going. Bear spray lives in the survival bag for sure.
American?
This is the most Canadian videos. Paul is the best possible person to have had as pilot. Wow. Love Cdn Forces. Love CFB Trent. Glass everyone is well. Great take aways. Can we get your lists of emerg supplies. 🇨🇦🙏🏻🫶🏼
Thanks for the comments. I will doing a series on survival kits and survival in general as it applies to general aviation in the near future.
What happened to the plane ?
Here is what we know at this time - th-cam.com/video/sDjojQN-unM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wc9KO7pEHeO2zWkr