Glider Pilot and Passenger Survive Crash in the San Gabriels

The two endured a night of subfreezing weather after tricky winds forced a mountain landing.

By Joel Rubin
Times Staff Writer

December 5, 2005

A glider pilot and her passenger were rescued unharmed Sunday morning after a crash landing and a cold night in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Yvonne Robinson, 37, and her passenger were spotted by another pilot around 7:20 a.m., about seven miles south of the Llano flying school, where they had taken off Saturday afternoon. The two were hoisted into a Los Angeles County Sheriff's rescue helicopter and flown to safety.

Robinson, a six-year gliding veteran, said conditions were ideal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when she and passenger Tom Erickson, 45, were towed aloft in the engineless craft by a fixed-wing plane for a 45-minute joyride.

"It was absolutely beautiful," she said.

Trouble began when Robinson detached from the escort plane after crossing over the crest of one of the area's tallest peaks. More than a mile above the earth, wind currents prevented Robinson from gaining any altitude.

"Right away, I wasn't sure I could make it back over the ridge. There was 'sink' everywhere," she said, using the gliding term that describes the wind condition. "I was trying to get any lift I could. It wasn't working."

For about half an hour, Robinson circled over a rugged canyon struggling to get enough height to return home. Eventually, she resigned herself — and Erickson — to an emergency landing.

Erickson, who could not be reached for comment, remained calm in his seat in the front of the glider, Robinson said.

Robinson managed to slow the plane greatly before touching down on a mountainside about 4,000 feet above sea level.

With the nose pointing up the slope, a bed of scrub brush provided a relatively soft and quick landing. The plane was not seriously damaged.

With the sun setting, Robinson realized she had forgotten her cellphone, radio and drinking water in her car. Erickson, too, had left his cellphone behind.

"I saw we weren't going anywhere, so we waited. We watched for planes," she said.

None came.

Sheriff's Deputy Daryl Bonsall of the Palmdale station said staff at Great Western Soaring School called at 5 p.m. to alert police that Robinson was more than two hours late. A patrol vehicle in the area searched for a few hours. But, with too little light and no fixed location for the glider, the decision was made to wait until morning to begin searching by air.

As temperatures dipped into the 20s, Robinson and Erickson climbed back into the plane. Sleep was impossible, Robinson said. The two passed the night swapping stories about Simi Valley, where they both live. Robinson said she glanced at her watch incessantly — using the display light from her iPod to see.

"Time seemed to be moving so slowly. It was such a long time [until sunrise]. I thought my toes would fall off," she said.

By 7 a.m., two sheriff's helicopters, two other helicopters hired by Robinson's father and a pilot from the flying school were in the air searching for the pair. It took only minutes to find them

I don't remember seeing an Ipod in most bob lists. Guess it would be nice to have along IF you have a survival kit as well. Attention Doug: Guess it's time to bring out another product for your line -- how about 'stupid stickers' for the unprepared? It seems to be becoming an epidemic!

Good Lord, please tell me that this pilot was required to have some kind of basic emergency/survival/FAK on board when taking passengers for hire? I don't know what the requirements are for aircraft, but, I know on a boat you have to have a basic set of gear, and the requirements go up as the size of the vessel and number of folks you're carrying go up. Even if it wasn't "required", wouldn't a responsible person planning on flying unpowered over mountain ranges think that maybe something might one day not go as planned?
I know it's a glider, and weight is an issue, but, a small kit should be possible. It sounds like there wasn't even a flashlight on board.

How does the glider communicate with the tow plane? They must have had an air band radio or handheld or something? She said she knew from the start they were in trouble. How about calling the tow plane and giving them a heads up to stay around until they knew they could get back over the range. At least they'd be able to radio the landing site to the local SAR folks.

This is just pathetic. They didn't have a way to signal or make a fire to stay warm? I guess they at least had a few neurons firing so they climbed back into the craft. I guess this was one of those potential "natural selection" cases that turned out ok because people found them quickly. A little colder night, or an injury on the landing and things could have turned into body recovery rather than rescue.

Next thing you know, one of them will be bringing a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the glider or something, it must be somebody else at fault <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Wow... all I can say is wow. I too had a good laugh when I saw the pilot had left her cell phone and radio in the car, but had managed to remember her iPod. Someone has their priorities right! <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

(Maybe she was carrying one of Doug's new "Podcasts" on it?) <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

He father hired two choppers himself? That isn't cheap, even if all he's paying for is the gas.

She's probably some rich girl, who just like her rich boy counterparts, doesn't have a clue. After all, they can pay others to think for them. And to save thier sorry butts when they do something stupid.

cedfire,
Yeah - that was about my thought too. Gliders land "off field" ALL the time - You get on the phone/radio, and call in. Geez What was the PIC thinking?

Shudder

I took 2-3 glider lessons, oh, 17 years back - they drill you for off field landings all the time - lets face, if you are doing anything more than flying right in the area of the airport, you hit the sinks, you ARE landing off field - it's all a matter of WHERE and HOW

BTW this is one of the reasons that glider pilots are allowed to do MAJOR work on the aircraft - like take the wings on and off - you probably WILL have to do it sooner or later

I carry more survival gear in my EDC shoulder bag than than this pilot does in her airplane. That does not bode well for the pilot.

-- Craig

teach a man to lite a fire.....
Dont you have the thing backwards?

Do gliders require a license? If so, this pilot's should be suspended for being so negligent. Or at least forbidden from having any passengers, so the only life she's putting in jeapordy is her own.