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CNN Live At Daybreak

American Pilot Discusses Rescue off Russian Far East

Aired July 09, 2001 - 08:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, Colleen, a dramatic rescue at sea in Russia's Far East. The American pilot and his three Japanese passengers have been helicoptered to Russia's Sakhalin Island. Their light plane developed engine trouble and went down. The four suffered only minor injuries and were plucked from a life raft by the crew of a Russian ship. They had been on that raft for 16 hours.

And right now on the telephone with us is the American pilot, the one who was rescued in the raft. His name is Mike Smith.

Mike, can you hear me?

MIKE SMITH: Just fine.

LIN: How are you doing?

SMITH: Well, it was an experience. Sixteen hours in a raft is something I don't think I will ever forget. Fortunately, the end result was acceptable.

LIN: Well, what exactly happened to the plane?

SMITH: Well, I was flying in Russian airspace, probably 600 miles north of the Island of Hokkaido, into Russian airspace. We were on a round-the-world trip, and I was heading to the city of Magadan to complete my round-the-world trip and the final legs, which had been Nome, Anchorage and Boise, where I started from. I was at 8,100 meters, which is about 26,300 feet, and I felt a strange vibration in the aircraft, and all of sudden, about four seconds later, the engine went into what they consider overspeed or overtemp condition.

And I heard a loud bang. It's called a compressor stall, and basically the engine seized, something destructive in the aircraft. And I tried to reduce power. I couldn't, so I went ahead and...

(TELEPHONE DISCONNECTS)

LIN: We just lost Mike Smith and the telephone connection. We're going to try to reconnect that. Just as that story was building!

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