Like this ended well, this could have ended really badly,” he said. “The only thing I’m happy about is this guy is going to have another Christmas. said he’s glad things ended the way they did. Though it was clearly an unfortunate situation, as all plane crashes are, Gelinne Sr. As for using shovels to maneuver a kayak, “It was pretty comical actually trying to get out there,” he said. Looking back on the rescue, Gelinne Jr., a pilot with the Marines, said besides the ideal runway, the creek was the next best place to land the plane. Jennifer Macallair of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said the father and son acted “heroically” and likely saved Couchman’s life. Anne Arundel County Fire Department December 26, 2022 Great job by all who responded! /P3zrck9Oj3 Fire Dept personnel are assisting several kayakers with warming. Plane Crash Update: The Pilot is being transported to AAMC with non-life threatening injuries. Within 10 minutes of the crash, a Maryland Department of Natural Resources rescue boat arrived and officials took the pilot to the shore and then the hospital. Using their kayaks, the father and son kept the pilot afloat while the plane was falling below the ice and into the water beneath. And I use the shovel to just dig into the ice and just kind of slid the kayak.”Ĭouchman, who had exited the plane’s cockpit, was standing on the wing of the plane when Gelinne Sr. “You see, you can’t kayak with a paddle,” he said, referring to the iced-over creek. said they grabbed kayaks - one red, the other yellow - a life jacket and a shovel, but not paddles. Beards Creek’s water temperature was 30 degrees, and it only takes minutes for hypothermia to set in, according to an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesperson. and his son sprang into action, deciding they needed to act to prevent the pilot from getting hypothermia. Seeing Couchman stuck in the creek, Gelinne Sr. “And so, we all scrambled out onto the patio there. “We saw the bottom of the aircraft, very close, and then it skipped and then went in the water right there,” Gelinne Sr. said he thought the plane would hit their house before hitting the frozen water. Couchman, of Prince Frederick, Maryland, was the only person aboard the plane. His engine “began sputtering” shortly after getting airborne, Maryland State Police said. Steve Couchman, 71, crash-landed into Beards Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, just after taking off from Lee Airport. Monday morning.Īuthorities said the pilot is receiving treatment and expected to recover from his injuries. John Gelinne, a 30-year retired naval officer, and his son, John Gelinne Jr., a Marine, used kayaks to slide across Beards Creek in Edgewater and rescue the pilot from the crashed plane at around 10:30 a.m. Two people spring into action to rescue a pilot from a sinking plane in Edgewater, Maryland, WTOP’s Stetson Miller reportsĪ Navy veteran and his son had no idea they’d be orchestrating an impromptu rescue from their Anne Arundel, Maryland, home, saving a pilot who smashed into a frozen creek on the day after Christmas. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.
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