All survive midair between a glider and Hawker 800XP
Remarkably, the two pilots and three passengers on a NetJets Hawker 800XP and the pilot of a Schleicher sailplane escaped with their lives when the two air
Remarkably, the two pilots and three passengers on a NetJets Hawker 800XP and the pilot of a Schleicher sailplane escaped with their lives when the two aircraft collided at about 16,000 feet in VMC on August 28 near Smith, Nev. After the collision the pilot of the glider, 58-year-old Akihiro Hirao, bailed out and alighted safely, while the badly damaged jet made an emergency gear-up landing at Carson City Airport.
Damage to the Hawker was extensive, including a missing nosecone, parts of the glider embedded in the fuselage near the cockpit, structural damage that prevented the landing gear from being lowered, a failed right engine and an instrument panel on the left side that “exploded,” injuring the pilot in her face.
