With aircraft instruments in her lap after a midair collision with a glider, a charter pilot regained control over the Pine Nut Mountains, circled Washoe Lake and landed the twin-engine jet on its belly at the Carson City Airport, passengers said Monday afternoon. The glider pilot parachuted to safety in the Pine Nut Mountains after the collision, to the surprise of search and rescue workers. "I'm utterly amazed that he's alive and has no significant injuries," said Capt. Jeff Page of the Lyon County Sheriff's Office. The glider pilot, identified as Akihiro Hirao of Japan, was found by Washoe Tribal Police at the mouth of Lone Pine Canyon south of Gardnerville, Page said.
The twin engine Hawker XP800 and the glider collided about 3:10 p.m. at what the Federal Aviation Administration said was about 16,000 feet near the border of Douglas and Lyon counties.
Hirao declined to talk to news media, but Richard Mirgon, director of emergency communications and emergency management for Douglas County, said Hirao did what he was trained to do after the impact. "He said he immediately did the emergency procedures and started to get the windscreen off and get out of the aircraft," Mirgon said. "He knew immediately he had lost a wing." His parachute opened and Hirao floated to the ground, Mirgon said...more..
