Plane makes emergency parachute landing in Pacific

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Jun 18, 2007
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No fuel, no runway, no problem: pilot successfully lands in ocean


Dramatic video released by the US Coast Guard shows a pilot safely escaping his single-engine airplane after gliding it to the ocean off Hawaii with the help of a parachute. Video: Reuters

The pilot of a single-engine airplane safely ditched off the island of Hawaii on Sunday (January 25) after realizing he was running out of fuel.

The unidentified pilot of the Cirrus SR-22 put out a distress call in the afternoon to the Hawaii National Guard, who then helped guide him as he attempted to successfully land in the Pacific ocean.

Aerial surveillance video released by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the pilot deploying the airframe parachute system, which is used by smaller aircraft. After splashing into the ocean, he escapes the plane and then climbs into a life raft.

According to the Coast Guard, the pilot was picked up by a nearby Holland America cruise ship, which had been called in to help.

It is unclear if the pilot, who had been en route from California to Maui, sustained any injuries.

He ditched the aircraft about 407 kilometers northeast of his destination.

No fuel, no runway, no problem: pilot successfully lands in ocean