A Different Ditching

摘要

The FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual, at paragraph 6-3-3, puts it bluntly: "A successful aircraft ditching is dependent on three primary factors. Inrnorder of importance they are: sea conditions and wind, type of aircraft, and the skill and technique of the pilot." I maintain that the AIM leaves out one critical component of a truly successful ditching: The performance of the crew and passengers, together, during the aircraft ditching and subsequent evacuation of the aircraft. You want to know how Irnknow? I've been there. On June 14, 2001,I was piloting a Cessna 210 out of Key West, Fla., on an IFR flight plan heading to Grand Cayman Island. Onboard were my two daugh-rnters, ages 8 and 9, their babysitter, age 15, and a 20-year-old first-timer in my airplane. I was the only pilot and we were loaded to maximum gross weight.