Thu Mar 11 2010
John Lowe
The New Concord Leader
NEW CONCORD -- When Mayor Greg Adams and his wife, Eileen, decided to travel east to visit their daughter Chelsea in Annapolis, little did they suspect the trip would involve an emergency landing near Deep Creek, Md.
The mayor was piloting his company's plane at an altitude of about 10,000 feet when the power failed. (Adams is co-owner and president of Resource Systems, New Concord.)
"The props were spinning but there was no thrust," Adams said.
In fact, the plane, a Cessna 210, experienced catastrophic engine failure when a connecting rod broke and wreaked damage inside. The broken rod battered a hole in the crank case about the size of a fist.
What do you do with a plane that loses all power?
You turn it into a glider and look for an airport or some place flat to land -- a challenge to find in western Maryland.
"That's where all of the training you get comes into play," Adams said. "That and a little help from above."
The comparatively high altitude proved to be a help because it gave Adams time to circle and find a small airport as the plane descended.
Adams, who has been a pilot for 25 years, said he believes most pilots with a little experience could have landed the plane. Learning to glide with a stalled engine is part of the training.
His wife was a little less sanguine.
"I was praying the entire time," she said. "All I could see was the face of our daughters, Chelsea and Clare. For a few moments, I honestly didn't think we would ever see them again. I guess God decided it wasn't our time yet.
"I sure am glad Greg kept his head in the situation. He's my hero."
On the ground and in a rented car back enroute to St. John's College, the Adamses experienced a lighter moment as they were leaving town and saw the sign with village name: "Accident."
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