Lucky to be alive?

Family’s faith stronger after plane crash
Worthington couple, kids walk away after aircraft goes down in North
Carolina fog
Monday, January 01, 2007
Jodi Andes
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Laurenze Ducatte, second from left, and Caitlin, 11, front, were
unharmed when the family’s plane crashed in North Carolina. Gerald
Ducatte and Chelsea, 14, had minor bumps and scrapes.

It was as though angels landed the plane in the woods.

That was Gerald Ducatte’s thought as his wife and two daughters stood
outside their crumpled 1963 Beechcraft Musketeer somewhere deep in the
woods of North Carolina.

Minutes before, Ducatte was piloting the four-seater on their way to a
vacation to Florida when it crashed in thick fog late Saturday morning
outside Asheville, N.C.

The Worthington family, though, walked away.

Chelsea, 14, had a cut on her right hand. Mr. Ducatte had abrasions on
his left shoul- der and a few lumps from where the left side of the
cabin caved in.

His wife, Laurenze, and their youngest daughter, Caitlin, 11, walked out
of the back of the plane without a scratch.

Mrs. Ducatte, who teaches nursing at Columbus State Community College,
didn’t need to treat anyone.

"It was truly a miracle. There are no other explanations for it," said
Gerald’s mother, Beverley Ducatte, a Virginia resident who viewed
pictures of the mangled plane on CNN.

The Ducattes took off from Don Scott Field at 8 a.m. Saturday, heading
for Orlando, Fla. They left in light, comfortable clothes, ready for
Florida’s 80-degree warmth.

A heavy fog made it impossible to see in the skies above North Carolina.

A recorded message from the Asheville airport said there was 1,000 feet
of clearance between the clouds and ground. Mr. Ducatte descended to
find those clear skies.

But when they got to that level, visibility was actually worse, he said.
The next time he was able to see something, it was too late.

"When we got down there and got out of a cloud there were trees," Mrs.
Ducatte said.

The plane skidded off the top of the trees before plowing into limbs,
Mr. Ducatte said.

Standing outside the wreckage, the family could see that trees clipped
off the plane’s left wing, and the right wing was barely attached. The
fuselage came to rest with its nose nestled between trees. Fuel leaked
from several spots but didn’t ignite.

Snow covered parts of the mountainside and the air felt only a few
degrees above freezing. With no heavy jackets on board, the family
pulled extra clothes from their luggage, called 911 and waited for help.

Rescuers made it to the site in about two hours. It took another three
hours to climb down the mountain, Mrs. Ducatte said.

Medics and deputies were gracious as they helped the family — and their
luggage — down the mountain, she said.

"They were tremendous," Mrs. Ducatte said.

The family took a cab to a nearby hotel before renting a car yesterday
and continuing on to Florida for their vacation.

Chelsea, a freshman at Thomas Worthington High School, rested so well
that she was even laughing in her sleep, her mother said.

There were many calls from friends after the family’s story made
national news. Chelsea said she was happy knowing she was loved.

Mrs. Ducatte said that the family’s Christian beliefs are even stronger now.

Mr. Ducatte, a chemist at Battelle, has a basic pilot’s license and has
been flying a few years. He said he is thankful for his flight
instructor, Chuck Miele.

Mrs. Ducatte said she is glad that her husband was so skilled and that
emergency crews worked so quickly to find them.

But both say that credit for their safety doesn’t belong in human hands.

"john smith" wrote

Mrs. Ducatte said she is glad that her husband was so skilled

?????????????????????????????????????

What in the hell were they trying to go down in that mess? Not good
planning, or good decision making, IMHO. Skill?

Luck. Or God's grace, one of the two.

and that emergency crews worked so quickly to find them.

But both say that credit for their safety doesn’t belong in human hands.

Once again, controlled slow flight into trees is better than a spin/stall or
nose-down attitude impacts.

Someone was not so lucky, closer to Charlotte.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/10641149/detail.html

You have to sit through an ad and the weather and another story before the
video clip of the crash comes up.
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/10645271/detail.html

Story in the paper. I also saw a report that said there was no fire, and no
witnesses heard engine noises. It was on a long flight from the coast of
NC. I have to wonder if it is a case of fuel starvation.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlot...s/16360258.htm
--
Jim in NC

john smith wrote:
Family’s faith stronger after plane crash
Worthington couple, kids walk away after aircraft goes down in North
Carolina fog
Monday, January 01, 2007
Jodi Andes
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Laurenze Ducatte, second from left, and Caitlin, 11, front, were
unharmed when the family’s plane crashed in North Carolina. Gerald
Ducatte and Chelsea, 14, had minor bumps and scrapes.

It was as though angels landed the plane in the woods.

Yes, I too believe that God looks out for fools and children. They
should pull this guy's certificate.


Matt

john smith wrote:

A recorded message from the Asheville airport said there was 1,000 feet
of clearance between the clouds and ground. Mr. Ducatte descended to
find those clear skies.

The FAA's website lists this pilot as a non-instrument rated, newly
certificated private pilot.

Hopefully the FAA will require this pilot to attend remedial flight
planning training before he accidentally kills his family next time.

--
Peter

john smith writes:

"It was truly a miracle. There are no other explanations for it," said
Gerald’s mother, Beverley Ducatte, a Virginia resident who viewed
pictures of the mangled plane on CNN.

A miracle is an event that occurs even though it is impossible. This
event was not impossible, therefore it was not a miracle. They were
lucky.

If they had as much brains as they have religion, they never would
have had the accident in the first place.

Mr. Ducatte, a chemist at Battelle, has a basic pilot’s license and has
been flying a few years. He said he is thankful for his flight
instructor, Chuck Miele.

Mrs. Ducatte said she is glad that her husband was so skilled and that
emergency crews worked so quickly to find them.

So skilled? If he was so skilled, why did he have an accident?

But both say that credit for their safety doesn’t belong in human hands.

The dice rolled in their favor. Next time they may not.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Morgans wrote:
Someone was not so lucky, closer to Charlotte.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/10641149/detail.html

You have to sit through an ad and the weather and another story before the
video clip of the crash comes up.
http://www.wsoctv.com/video/10645271/detail.html

Story in the paper. I also saw a report that said there was no fire, and no
witnesses heard engine noises. It was on a long flight from the coast of
NC. I have to wonder if it is a case of fuel starvation.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlot...s/16360258.htm


I've been following this accident since it happened yesterday about 5 miles from
where I live. Apparently a family of 4 was flying from Manteo, NC to Shelby, NC
in a Cessna 182 when they fell out of the sky... literally. There were BIG
pieces of aircraft that rained down over a fairly large area.... intact wings,
etc. Given yesterday's crappy weather (today's no better here), I assume the
pilot lost control, went into a graveyard spiral and then broke up in mid air.

He was maybe 40 miles short of his destination when he crashed only 3 miles from
KCLT. He was in contact with Charlotte Approach (since it's Class B airspace)
but nothing has been said so far whether he was attempting to land at Douglas
d/t emergency or whatever. I still don't know if he made any Mayday calls.

We've got low ceilings, steady light rain and I assume smooth flight conditions.
It's not cold... I slept last night with the back door to my bedroom open so I
could listen to the rain. I am assuming the weather wasn't the primary problem
though it surely didn't help him at all. He could have suffered a mechanical,
unexpectedly found himself short of fuel, or possibly had a health problem (he
was the right age for heart problems). All of this is the coarsest conjecture
and is backed up by very little fact.

I've already fired off a letter to the Observer raising hell about the "stalled
engine" phrasing they used. SIGH Not enough detail available at this point.


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

"Morgans" wrote in message
"john smith" wrote

Mrs. Ducatte said she is glad that her husband was so skilled

?????????????????????????????????????

What in the hell were they trying to go down in that mess? Not good
planning, or good decision making, IMHO. Skill?

Luck. Or God's grace, one of the two.

and that emergency crews worked so quickly to find them.

But both say that credit for their safety doesn’t belong in human hands.

Once again, controlled slow flight into trees is better than a spin/stall
or nose-down attitude impacts.

Someone was not so lucky, closer to Charlotte.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/10641149/detail.html

Maybe God was preoccupied with the holiday season...

m

In article ,
"Happy Dog" wrote:

"Morgans" wrote in message
"john smith" wrote

Mrs. Ducatte said she is glad that her husband was so skilled

?????????????????????????????????????

What in the hell were they trying to go down in that mess? Not good
planning, or good decision making, IMHO. Skill?

Luck. Or God's grace, one of the two.

and that emergency crews worked so quickly to find them.

But both say that credit for their safety doesn’t belong in human hands.

Once again, controlled slow flight into trees is better than a spin/stall
or nose-down attitude impacts.

Someone was not so lucky, closer to Charlotte.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/10641149/detail.html

Maybe God was preoccupied with the holiday season...

Do a google search.
Lots of crashes and deaths in the last two weeks.
Majority were families.
Doesn't make a good impression about GA.

"john smith" wrote in message ...
: Family’s faith stronger after plane crash
: Worthington couple, kids walk away after aircraft goes down in North
: Carolina fog
: Monday, January 01, 2007
: Jodi Andes
: THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
: Laurenze Ducatte, second from left, and Caitlin, 11, front, were
: unharmed when the family’s plane crashed in North Carolina. Gerald
: Ducatte and Chelsea, 14, had minor bumps and scrapes.
:
: It was as though angels landed the plane in the woods.
:
: That was Gerald Ducatte’s thought as his wife and two daughters stood
: outside their crumpled 1963 Beechcraft Musketeer somewhere deep in the
: woods of North Carolina.
:


Fate is the Hunter - Gann

john smith wrote:
Family’s faith stronger after plane crash
Worthington couple, kids walk away after aircraft goes down in North
Carolina fog
Monday, January 01, 2007


Mr. Ducatte, a chemist at Battelle, has a basic pilot’s license and has
been flying a few years. He said he is thankful for his flight
instructor, Chuck Miele.



He needs his ticket yanked and I'll bet his instructor has a meeting
with the FSDO as well.