Hawaii –
Developing information about a pilot whose plane from Tracy came parachuting down 250 miles near Maui, Hawaii. The company the pilot works for claimed the aircraft had enough fuel for the flight, but a malfunction prevented the pilot from accessing the fuel reserves.
Near-disaster as a Cirrus SR22 propeller is seen stopping mid-flight, moments after pilot Lue Morton told the U.S. Coast Guard he was unable to reach the remaining fuel in his engine. (scroll down to see raw video from the Coast Guard)
His lifeline, the aircraft’s parachute, is used as the plane levels off, then he crashes into the Pacific Ocean, about 250 miles from Maui.
“Which is very nice; it’s a very, very good advertisement for Cirrus in my opinion because that parachute is doing a great job,” Richard Ortenheim, owner of Skyview Aviation told FOX40 Monday.
Ortenheim said Morton stopped by for fuel Sunday morning, gearing up in Tracy for the long flight to Hawaii. “They do a test flight around here within 50 nautical miles with the ferry system installed with fuel in it,” Ortenheim said, “That was done on Saturday without any problems.”
The Flight Academy released a statement claiming Morton had enough fuel reserves for the flight but an unknown issue prevented the pilot from accessing it. “I don’t know exactly how many hours he doesn’t work for me…. but he had done numerous crossings in the last year in Cirrus air tankers,” Ortenheim explained.
Morton is an experienced pilot, having worked for years as an instructor for The Flight Academy based in Seattle, Washington.
The young pilot has shared videos of his more successful flights. He made the same journey in 2014. Flying from Tracy, California to Hawaii, then Hawaii to South Korea.
Although this trip may have not been as successful as 2014’s, at least Morton was able to float to safety Sunday night. After being rescued by Coast Guardsmen and a Holland America cruise ship.
Skyview Aviation’s owner said the pilot flew in from Wichita, Kansas to Tracy. He added he has serviced thousands of planes in his 25-year-career and this is the first time something like this has happened.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating the cause of the accident.
