Divers Working To Recover Small Plane - Ditched Into Panama Canal
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Yesterday afternoon a group of divers was working to located and attach floats to an airplane that ditched into the Panama Canal near the Amador causeway last weekend. The airplane, a Beech Model 58 twin engine small airplane, tail number N511MP, piloted by American Monte Pollock, the owner of one of our sponsor's PanamaSkyDive.com, was forced to make an emergency ditching in the waters of the Panama Canal, just off of the Amador Causeway last Saturday afternoon. According to a report in today's Panama America newspaper, "the airplane fell into the sea last Saturday afternoon when it was returning from the district of Chepo and ran out of gasoline." That's the first time I have heard the "ran out of fuel" line. From what Monte Pollock told me, the right side engine simply quit unexpectedly as they were setting up to land at Albrook, and he was forced to ditch in order to avoid crashing into either Ancon Hill or Chorrillo. Another representative from the company said they were evaluating the costs of any potential recovery operation against the value of the ditched airplane, and that they would only embark on a recovery operation if it made economical sense to do so.
Related Article: See: PanamaSkydive Airplane Crash Lands in Panama Canal, 23 June 2009
Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.
