Out Of Fuel And Out Over The Pacific

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

Dunno how many people (if anyone around here at all) have heard of the (somewhat) miraculous story of (what's since been described as) the FLT 771 rescue out over the South Pacific Ocean during 1978 .... as presented within the following 8 minute presentation ....


OUT OF FUEL AND OVER THE PACIFIC (a fact based short documentary)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lqQBZXvyk4


In brief: On December 22nd 1978 Jay PROCHNOW (a former ex-US NAVY pilot) was contracted, along with another colleague, to ferry 2 CESSNA 188 AG WAGONS from the USA to Australia .... via Honolulu, Pago Pago/American Samoa, and Norfolk Island. Fast forwarding now to the event that unfolded during the Pago Pago/Norfolk Island sector of this ferry flight: One of these 2 aircraft, being flown by his colleague, was W/O as the result of a non-fatal TO accident at Pago Pago. PROCHNOW was under contractual obligations to continue delivery of the aircraft he was flying to Australia though, however, and unbeknownst to him, his aircraft developed an ADF malfunction en-route during this particular sector. When PROCHNOW reckoned upon being near, or overhead Norfolk Island .... the island was simply nowhere sight .... and which, upon trying to recalculate his position as best could be ascertained, resulted in his then being forced to declare an emergency to Auckland based Oceanic Control/ATC in NZ. This transmission was also intercepted by the crew of AIR NEW ZEALAND FLT TE103 .... a scheduled DC-10-30 (ZK-NZS) service operating from Nandi/Fiji to Auckland/NZ. The AIR NZ crew endeavoured to try'n ascertain PROCHNOW's position using a variety of both advanced and basic navigational techniques .... and which additionally resulted in the DC-10 crew also electing to jettison fuel, in stages, in order to create long enough vapor trails which PROCHNOW would hopefully spot .... and from there get a fix on his actual position/make visual contact with him .... with a view to then being able to provide a steer toward Norfolk Island. Before any sighting and location fix could be accomplished though, and in the fading Pacific light, PROCHNOW spotted lights on the ocean surface below him and which happened to be the "MAUI" oil rig being towed from NZ to Singapore. This enabled a precise fix in regard to his actual position .... and from which the DC-10 crew were then able advise PROCHNOW in regard to a course/steer towards Norfolk Island .... prior to the DC-10 then resuming its scheduled flight to Auckland. "At no stage during this entire event did the DC-10 crew ever actually visually spot PROCHNOW's aircraft though". To cut a long and interesting story short (if one focuses on just "the facts only"): PROCHNOW arrived safely "at Norfolk Island" upon the end of this ordeal. However, as the story also goes (and I do remember reading about this in a 1979 TOPIC AIR article following this event), after his overnight transit, at Norfolk, he allegedly then elected to continue on to Australia .... and with his still malfunctioning ADF (I guess he must have figured Australia's a large continental land mass and if he flew a magnetic heading westward, and for long enough, then it couldn't possibly be missed). Don't think one would get away with that today .... especially after the concern and inconvenience it earlier caused. PROCHNOW did arrive safely in Australia the following day and upon the conclusion of his ferry flight. Don't know what, if any, action was ever taken by either the NZCAA and/or Australian Federal CAA .... but .... the AIR NEW ZEALAND crew, under the command of captain Gordan VETTE, were awarded the "JOHNSON MEMORIAL AWARD" (issued by THE GUILD OF AIR PILOTS & NAVIGATORS), and the "PRESIDENTS" AWARD (issued by McDONNELL-DOUGLAS) in recognition of their highest order of humanitarian assistance to PROCHNOW/a fellow pilot in distress during the course of events that unfolded.


Events leading up to this particular incident were related within a (overly dramatized/exaggerated) 1990's movie entitled "MERCY MISSION - THE RESCUE OF FLIGHT 771".


THE MOVIE:"MERCY MISSION - THE RESCUE OF FLT 771"

www.dailymotion.com/video/x6inte0

www.dailymotion.com/video/x6intdr

www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ipne4


In comparison with the movie here's a couple more in-depth analysis' of what "actually happened" .... only without the/any "cinematic/theatrical distortion" ....


captainbillywalker.com/from-the-heart/jay-prochnows-harrowing-flight/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_188_Pacific_rescue


Mark C
AKL/NZ

[graemeb]

Hi Mark,

I read about that incident in an excellent book by Stanley Stewart "Emergency - Crisis on the Flight Deck", many years ago. I still have it on the bookshelf. There were nine separate chapters, each about a different flight and emergency, all of which were resolved from memory. A great read!

Graeme

[joscyriacv2]

I have watched the Flight 771 movie. It was a nail biting movie. As a seafarer, I was very fascinated by the airmanship of the ANZ crew who went to lengths to ensure the Cessna was found. They don't make pilots like that anymore I guess. Even at sea we're taught celestial navigation but it's not required to practice it anymore. The FE on this flight was Gordon Brooks who perished on Mt Erebus.

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

I was very fascinated by the airmanship of the ANZ crew who went to lengths to ensure the Cessna was found. They don't make pilots like that anymore I guess

In an interview, during the 1990's, and following release of the (above-linked) movie ("MERCY MISSION - THE RECURE OF FLT 771") .... Gordon VETTE (captain of the AIR NZ flight which aided successful outcome of this particular incident .... he was communicated with, at length, by the movies directing team and became their technical adviser) later stated .... "they never really incorporated into the movie what I explained at length to them".

He also stated .... "I never much liked being represented as an apparently grumpy old captain with an American accent"

Facts went out the window "in favour of an exaggerated cinematic/theatrical story line" .... of the type which often substantiates typical movie plots and presentations for end viewer satisfaction. Retelling this event would work well as "properly explained and in-depth documentary", but, simply wouldn't work as a movie. Just a classic case of both reality and cinematic production colliding head-on for the sake of public appeal .... I guess


A bit about CAPT Gordon VETTE ....



www.erebus.co.nz/Investigation/Captain-Vettes-Research/About-Gordon-Vette

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Vette

www.times.co.nz/news/crash-investigator-forced-to-quit/

The FE on this flight was Gordon Brooks who perished on Mt Erebus.

A bit about FE Gordon BROOKS ....



www.geni.com/people/Gordon-Brooks/6000000182247487841

Gordon BROOKS .... the FE on "TE901" (another highly experienced, very senior, and equally well respected guy among the airlines crews) .... was the only member of that flights tech crew whom had crewed one of the airlines previous scenic flights to Antarctica, but, even his vast experience and operational thoroughness were invalidated that day by "the last minute" alteration applied to the flight planning for the fatal flight (there was a number of parts to this) .... and which were never communicated to its crew prior departure. Nor had any of the crew been specifically trained, or even briefed, in regard to visual illusions that are often prevalent in regard to polar flying since the airline commenced these flights 2 years prior to the accident. That particular accident ultimately made commercial flying safer today though .... and which is the only real "positive" that came out of it occurrence .... albeit for the loss of 257 lives. As an unrelated foot note: Gordon BROOKS apparently had something of a reputation for his great singing voice too.

Mark C
AKL/NZ