Page 17 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2019

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Heading west from John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, I guided the jet to the designated turning point about 6 miles out, made a hard right over Alum Creek and sped on to our final
destination just 50 miles to the north. The flight was a bit of a fight, trying to keep the plane on course and at the proper altitude. But all seemed to be going well until I became so fixated on my instrument panel as we approached the airport that I lost visual sight of the runway itself.
BIG MISTAKE.
My co-pilot, John Price, coolly kept calling out instructions to get us properly lined up for the landing. But I had lost our position so severely on the primary flight display that I had no way of saving the flight. We crashed in a grassy field far right of the runway.
The good news is that I managed to stop the jetliner before slamming into the woods and that I, my co-pilot and two passengers somehow survived the tragedy.
After bringing the aircraft to a complete stop in the field, I turned to Price and declared: “I thought this would be the perfect spot for a picnic.” My co-pilot responded with a big smile and a heartfelt fist bump.
Continued on page 16
NOVEMBER 2019 | 15