February 12, 2009
A bygone era Douglas DC-3 airliner made a successful landing yesterday at Richmond International Airport after air traffic controllers apparently forgot all about the plane, which waited nearly 72 years for runway clearance.
The 31 passenger aircraft, operated by the now-defunct Eastern Air Lines, touched down at 3:32 p.m. on Runway 3, airport officials said. The plane had taken off almost 619,300 hours earlier from New York’s Glenn H. Curtiss Airport, now known as LaGuardia.
Richmond International spokesman Troy Bell said the air traffic controllers “simply lost track” of the aircraft, which its pilot later said had been hovering roughly 12,600 feet above eastern Henrico County in hopes of getting ground clearance since September 1938.
“One of our air traffic controllers spotted what he described as a very shiny metallic object high in the air, and when he radioed to it, found that the crew had been wanting to land their plane for quite some time,” Bell said. “I’m sure they were relieved to get back down on the ground and stretch their legs.”
Bell said the DC-3, known for its high speeds, long range and ability to refuel only once a century, was in “surprisingly good shape” for spending the average human’s lifespan in the sky. Flight 34 Captain Harry Beaham said he knew something was wrong after his second year without contact with flight crews on the ground.
“It was a horrible gut feeling at first, realizing how alone you were up there. Though I will say it was pretty amazing to watch the city grow and suburbs spring up over the years, particularly from the sky,” Beaham said, shaking his legs out and noting that he “couldn’t wait” to get back to his wife and kids.
The pilot was later informed that his entire family at the time of his departure has since perished, and his home was paved over to make way for what is now Innsbrook Corporate Center.
However, passengers on board, ranging in age from 81 to 140, looked no older than they did when they first stepped onto the plane, an effect likely due to the tight cabin pressurization, Bell said.
Comments
1 Comment so far
Guy Who Lives Above 3 Monkeys Tired Of Asking Everyone To Keep It Down
Nick Cavalieri, who has lived in the apartment directly above 3 Monkeys Bar and Grill since November, is getting "more than fed up" with having to continuously tell his neighbors to be quiet, the 30-year-old said today.
"Monday through Sunday, I hear those guys partying pretty much every night," Cavalieri said. The University ...
Just a guess, but the aircraft must have been WAY overdue for a “C-check.”