Controller Gives Pilot Terrible News
Having equipment malfunction is a risk of aviation, even if it is rare. But having your landing gear fall off your plane when you are a new pilot would be very scary and you will hear how it all happened.
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Cleared for takeoff
05:34 - Back to Basics
10:11 - Keep it on Centerline
13:13 - Ready to Land
18:24 - Aftermath
Fun fact, Maggie was only 17 years old flying a Piper Warrior. Her mom and dad were on the ground watching the whole time. Her parent were also Airforce veterans and both pilots. Also she did not let this crash stop her within the next couple days she was flying again.
It's strange that he put a Cessna up for Maggie. We can clearly see in the pictures that it's a Piper
Any idea what lead to landing gear to fall off? Enough student pilots landing hard and following tress fractures?
Glad to hear that Maggie is still flying.
I’m at the beginning of the video and you gave me the courage to keep going.
she flew 5 days later, not weeks. She is pretty hard core
Controller sounds more like 911 dispatch dealing with a scared child than ATC. She did a fantastic job!!!
The audio on this clip was her instructor, not the ATC controller.
@@elkhunter8664 The first part, with the female, was the controller.
It was both.
@@cenccenc946 YES IT WAS!!!!! GREAT JOB TO BOTH!
I think everyone did a fantastic job there for sure...
Hearing her voice at first almost broke my heart. How beautiful was this whole interaction. Almost brought a tear to my eye just listening to them. So glad everything worked out
I know! I wanted to give her a hug 🥺
Same... 🥲
Same here. My heart broke hearing how scared that poor young lady was.
@@arihasy just showed how a little positive reinforcement can change the situation drastically. He did practically huge her with his voice. Even I felt it.
I got through that first "okay" just fine. The second "okay" made my eyes sweat.
Tears in my eyes. The air traffic controller was sooooo great. And the pilot was a great listener and she did her job!!
Yeah, for the very first moment I was like oh no, she’s freaking out. (not that I blame her at all. I probably never would’ve gotten into another plane again.) but they helped her with a bit of nurturing, and then that was great that the gentleman she was used to working with, and had trust in already was able to be there to help talk her down. And she calmed down very quickly. Kudos to her and her parents. And her instructors. And that nice ATC lady at the beginning!!
Imagine if Tom Hanks had been the controller. "There's no crying in aviation!"
That Controller had that Mom tone. She lowered that stress instantly with the way she was talking to her.
Right, I'm straight up crying
Shout out to that pilot who reported the wheel falling off! I know it should be an expectation that such things be reported but nonetheless he may have saved her life by doing so. Bravo!
Even if expected, that could be real hard to spot! Miraculous catch!
Yeah if he hadn't reported it she would have just gone ahead and been caught unaware upon landing.
Well.. is there something else that you would do when you spot parts falling off of a plane during take off? I'll just have a cup of coffee, I don't feel like mentioning it to anyone.. lol. So, yes, it would be an expectation. I can't imagine a normal human being doing anything else but calling attention to it immediately.
@@cantfindmykeys I watch a lot of forensic crime documentaries and it's overwhelmingly common in a way you wouldn't believe how many people will not call the police if they hear men and women screaming in terror and agony for help because they're actively getting shot and stabbed to death. They're not afraid of the killer coming after them. They just go eh, no big deal. And I mean in nice neighborhoods too. Happens all the time. So yeah, people not calling this kinda thing in wouldn't surprise me in the least. 😕
@@Veldrusara I agree, I watch many of those documentaries, too. I think it's different when it comes to "disaster" stuff. The mentality switches to sensationalism. Omg! Fire! Avalanche! Tsunami! Train wreck! Bridge collapse! Look look look! You know what I mean. On the other hand, when it comes to someone screaming bloody murder, people are desensitized. Or "don't want to get involved" because I hear screaming all day long for no good reason other than idiots making unnecessary noise. After a while you tune it out. Unfortunately. Because every so often the cry for help is genuine. Most people will react to another human in distress or danger. It's just when the crisis is uncertain that they seem to disregard it as another false alarm. But they sure love to blow the whistle when they think a ship is going to sink. Or a plane might crash.
It's Maggie! I think I remember reading that the controller was a mom and immediately went into protective mom mode. Maggie did a great job bringing her distress under control and handling the emergency.
Someone pour Maggie a dram glass to calm her!! (Bluegrass reference)
A pint? Or large glass 😹😹😁
@@karenlabuschagne5712 a mega-pint!
@@karenlabuschagne5712 I'm a hillbilly. Let's get her a demijohn full!!!
Yeah, you could hear her change in tone almost immediately when she heard it was a solo student pilot...
This makes me cry with pride-- for a girl I've never met or seen, for a control tower and pilot instructor, and for the state of the industry. Imagine if our whole society worked like the aviation community. What a beautiful thing that would be!
Oh, they have just as many politics and strife's as society and other institutions, but they have a referee that has all control. FAA
1:40 Dad of daughters and grand pa to grand daughters, I broke. Her little, "okay" broke my heart. You know she's scared and freaking out but she soldiered on and completed the mission. Good on her. Hope she never has to have that fear ever again in her life. I wish no one would.
Exeactly my thoughts…
Ditto
I concur. I’ll never forget my daughters first solo flight at age 15 or 16, as I stood on the ground and kept talking to the instructor standing right next to me, just to keep my nerves clear of freaking out for panic. He said she was so 100% procedural, he wouldn’t be anxious at all, so I was able to stay sort of calm. Now that I hear this broken “okay” I must say I freak out ex post. Thank god all went well with that girl, and thank god my girl had never such a situation. Woah!
Add this. Her mom and dad, both pilots, were watching from the ground. Kudos to everyone involved. You can breath again.
Not a mother or grandmother but will confirm. As a human, I too forget how to breathe for a moment whenever I hear her voice break. 💔
Every time I hear how scared she was it damn near makes me cry man. Little did she know her actions were about to make her an aviation legend!
When her voice started to initially crack my eyes got watery ngl. What a way to calm the nerves and bring it in.
Personally, this is not how I want to spend my 15 minutes of fame, lol...
When a women or especially a girl got scared, shaken nearly crying it's shakes men, i got my eyes watery also.
@@Backroad_Junkie Haha I hear you but come on man, at that point all you do to calm down once is ask yourself how bad can it get? Worst scenario, the plane goes on a little excursion but it became the insurance company's plane soon as you took off so that's not your concern anymore 😂
Isn't she the Maggie from "viral debrief", in the video "Maggie's first prop strike"?
I love how much calmer she got as soon as her instructor came on. She did an amazing job, but him as well.
The instructor went full on Dad Mode and it's adorable
and the controller too, the controller I thought handled that well straight away realizing what was going on
I'm assuming part of that was also time passing by that was cut out from the recording for the video. By which I don't mean to diminish the good job everyone did!
Agreed, the way the pilot's voice calmed down at that point was amazing. I'm guessing just the fact that he's a familiar voice and can say stuff like "We're going to do what we've always done before, OK?" will have helped immensely.
@@margotrosendorn6371 That's what I was thinking about the Controller. She sounded as much like a Mom as a Controller.
I've watched Maggie's story so many times. Never fails to impress me. Never fails to break my little cold heart that first "okay" as her voice breaks. Never fails to make me proud of Maggie, her instructor, and the ATC who (I agree) knew just how and when to switch between Mom mode and _controller_ mode. Everyone was just brilliant.
Controller mode was the only thing necessary. Not talking to her like a helpless baby and making her feel powerless and start crying. I guess you don't know about the 17 girl that crash landed in mountains and flipped over in Wyoming and didn't have anyone helping her escape a box canyon. She survived with no communication in the middle of nowhere. Minus babytalk, too.
@@cantfindmykeys Dang who shit in your Cheerios this morning?
@@Benjamin-1776- lol, nobody. I don't eat cereal. Have a wonderful day!
@@cantfindmykeys wow you sound like a delightful human being... 🫤
@@parahive4067 lol, not sure if you are being sincere or not but either way.. cheers!
I'm a retired ATC from a center. When I talked to a professional pilot, I expected professionalism. When I talked to a small aircraft, I gave them as much leeway as possible. When you're talking to a pilot in an emergency, I gave them whatever I could. I'm certain an emergency was declared. ATC can declare an emergency, even if the pilot doesn't. It's about getting the plane on the ground safely!
Thats good you do that. People in an emergency, especially one that could result in injury or loss of life, are definitely not thinking "professional". Professionalism can pick up again once everyone is safe
You did what would and should be expected of ATC. I'll still give you heaps of praise and props for it! If only politicians would work by the same code!
Her little terrified voice at the start brought tears to my eyes and I'm a grown-ass man. You can hear her calming down and becoming more confident right after speaking to that marvellous ATC lady and her own instructor. She did a great job and I'm so glad everything turned out okay. Maggie sounded like a really nice girl. She will remember this baptism by fire for the rest of her life and Kelsey is right, this is going to fill her "experience bag" early on in her flying career, which is great.
I'm a grown-ass man, too -- and the first time I heard this (from VASAviation) I had exactly the same reaction (tears and a lump in my throat) and did again with Kelsey's entry. Maybe even a bit more because I'm from Massachusetts, and I have a daughter... This is my favorite aviation KZhead of them all so far (sorry Kelsey @74 Gear! But I do *love* your channel) -- it shows things Kelsey stresses all the time -- teamwork, how ATC is there to help you, first fly the airplane, back to basics, etc.). I think I posted a while ago asking Kelsey to react to the VASAviation KZhead; I'm so glad he did. Man, I've heard this many times, and the terrified "okays" and the controller going into Mom mode (or Dad mode, because I would have done the same thing -- let's call it "compassion and situational awareness mode") still hits me in some primordial way.
Same
Dude... I'm 37, 6'2", 290lbs, 10" beard, no kids... and yet that voice at the beginning and end is really getting me in the feels. Dang allergies.
@@thBarkingSpider haha, yeah. It was so poignant and heartbreaking that I'm sure a lot of grown-ass men got the feels! Luckily everything turned out alright. Thanks.
Her voice made me want to give her a hug and tell her that everything’s going to be fine.
A "mom" for controller was definitely in the "luck bag" for Maggie. Amazing how her instructor immediately re-focused her. Great job by all. Maggie is going to be a great pilot.
She certainly got some serious experience from this incident. Not the most comfortable way to gain experience, but she has proven to herself, that she is able to calm herself, instead of going into a full-blown panic. And that she can handle the plane even when she is in a scary situation. Thumbs up! 👍 Might have gotten a seed of mistrust on service personnel, though. 😄
My luck bag (from truck driving) has been empty for quite a while and I've only been driving for 2 years. That said, I'm all out of luck and I don't have a lot of experience. Although, when I get problems, they're usually not so severe I might not make it out alive. It can just get really expensive for the company.
I believe a male controller would have been also good enough
You don't need to be parent to be protective & kind though. I don't have children & i would have done the exact same thing
@@IzzyOnTheMove True. It seems to me that, just because the initial controller was a woman, that Kelsey went to the "mothering" trope. I'm not saying Kelsey's wrong, but it's not about mothering. It's about being a good controller. I hope that any controller, male or female, parent or not, would go into the caring, calming mode, because it's the best way to get help get the pilot down safely.
I couldn't help but tear up when Maggie responded to the tower and she was clearly crying and super scared. I was so proud of her for quickly getting her emotions in check and focusing on what she needed to do, to land the plane safely. Glad she has continued flying. I hope she ends up with a great and successful career as a pilot. ❤
Broke my heart to hear how scared she was but you could hear a change once her instructor got on the radio. Great job, Maggie!
The instructor sound just like Mike Fransesca.
Having experienced a partial engine failure on my second student solo (approximately 14 hours of dual) I can definitely appreciate this student's thinking. That was over 40 years ago and still crystal clear in my memory.
ya I don't think you will be forgetting that experience anytime soon!! haha, probably about as traumatic as my solo was, I won't be forgetting that anytime soon
I had just gotten my SEL Certificate and had an instrument panel fire. Thank God I was turning base when it happened.
@@auburn886 Yikes! Fire anywhere it shouldn't be is no bueno but on a plane? Too scary.
@@BeeWhistler still better than having it in the air, idk how anyone can keep calm if it happen mid-air.
I can totally relate to your story, mate. Happened to me 32 years ago, around 10 or 12 hours (just before my first solo), when the solo engine gradually faded away. Slowly enough though to ensure enough power for a large left turn to get back to the airdrome. The fact that we were the only plane flying there at that moment and the grass airdrome (no runways) made the landing very easy. But the amount of stress I felt then...was intense. :)
One of the great things about the aviation community: they are fiercely protective of students, and particularly of young students.
HI, I'm mamma Bear, meet my cub!
Absolutely, have to agree. Screw the plane, you can buy another, more important that the pilot/people make it.
You can hear the terror in the young pilots voice by how shakily she communicates with ATC, and ATC instantly turned on her calming "mom voice" to tell her how to handle it. Amazing.
Actually, what happened was the mommy voice made the girl switch to helpless baby mode. It would have been much more effective to keep a calm, steady, authoritative voice. Let her know that she can handle the situation and you are there to assist her and she is your priority. And not make her circle the airport 9 times or whatever ridiculous loopy nonsense they put her through. All she wanted to do was get that plane down. Instead they kept her in a state of suspense for what must have seemed like an eternity, waiting to land. Let the other planes wait and get her on the ground, I say.
@@cantfindmykeys having her circling around is routine flying. It gives her time to calm down, get her back into the right mindset. It also gives the people on the ground some time to go over options. The last thing you need is her landing that plane right now, while still panicking. They want her to calm down and mentally treat it as “normal flying as usual”.
@@lordinquisitor6651 Yes, but that many times? I was on a plane once that couldn't lower the landing gear and we kept circling and it was horrible. I didn't care if we had to land on the belly, I just wanted off that thing asap. Anyway, she did need time to snap out of it after that woman talked to her like she was helpless. That just made it worse. She wasn't about to cry until that happened.
@@cantfindmykeys and that, see, is why she's a pilot and you aren't
@ how do you know what I am or am not? You don't know me. I have flown small planes but I don't have a valid license. Anything else you want to take an uninformed wild guess about? My hobbies? My degrees? My pets? My pet peeves? My ability to not be presumptuous and make false statements based on diddly squat? Go ahead.
I’m so impressed by the tower controller and her instructor allowing her to successfully recover the aircraft. As a pilot I have nothing but respect for our ATC controllers. They are the quiet and unrecognized folks that make our aviation community successful.
Maggie is scared to death, you can hear it in her voice. Kudos to the controller and her instructor for keeping her calm, giving her simple and easy instructions, and guiding her down. This was a team effort and the end result, instead of tragedy, was a damaged aircraft and no serious injuries.
Keep in mind she's 17!
Why is she scared. Smh. She needs to grow up.
@@theenzoferrari458 Lmao, so you're telling me at 17 and brand new flying you wouldn't be scared when your landing gear fell off? You're lying thru your teeth.
@@JCrook1028 I bet you the comenter above you would've been scared for his life if he was a pilot on board UPS flight 6 in the Co pilots position no captain lower deck on fire no controls of the aircraft landing gears won't go down smock entering the cockpit Damm.
@@JCrook1028 That is clearly a troll and it is best to ignore them completely
The controller is such a pro for immediately putting on a "mom" voice and reassuring the pilot while giving easy to understand instruction. ATCs are so freakin' cool
God bless her
Most of them are, yes.
Yes. She did an amazing job
Yeah. It's like a doctor when you go in for surgery, I always love it when they make you cry and get all emotional. She made her cry. not good.
@@mynameisgladiator1933 She was already crying
6:30: The mention of the benefit of a familiar pilot coaching her down got me thinking of every single teensy aspect that specifically him being there improves: 2) Said pilot is a flight instructor and therefore has experience in not only flying but teaching other people to fly. 3) The fact that he's _her_ flight instructor means he knows exactly where they are in their curriculum, any strengths and weaknesses she may have, and how her mind works and responds. 4) He's nice. Mean/intimidating teachers add so much to the stress level.
And his voice is familiar :)
This! This! This!
but also you can hear the talk between the lines. at first she tells him what she's going to do. as a normal student she's trying to show him she knows what to do next. And then he tells her what to do. he is basically saying: you don't even have to think about it, you're going to just listen to me and do what i say. which is reassuring in that moment; i'm sure. dhr may think: usually we go through everything with me second-guessing myself and seeing if you go into a panic, but this time you're just going to tell me what to do. they never had to actually say those things, but you can hear that that's what they were saying.
Meanwhile, he’s having an internal freak out. Calm and collected outwardly, holding the freak at bay.
When she heard John, you could hear her confidence come back
I wish John was talking me through my whole life through an ear bud. So encouraging and calm. Love it
What a great comment! He has excellent communication skills & positivity!
Agreed
Great job Maggie. My Nephew, a retired Navy pilot, took me up for my very first two seater flight. He was a big jokester but when we walked out on the tarmac he changed, I've never seen him so serious as he checked out the plane and explained everything to me as he was doing it. When we got up to ~1000 ft he demonstrated how a plane could stay aloft without engine power as long as you didn't try to keep it up by pulling back on the stick. He then had me pick out four places to land the plane if I had an emergency and couldn't make it back to the airport. We did some rolls and other maneuvers, he instructed me and gave me control for a little while. We were up for over an hour and I must say that day was the best Christmas present I have ever received.
She's been accepted to "Top Gun" Class of 2025.
this is very nice
Awesome!
Wow. sounds like you had a great time bud :)
And yet Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus (pbuh) Prophet Jesus (pbuh) would be shocked that his people and followers made totally a new religion after he was gone , taken away to the heaven. Sad real sad
OMG as a student pilot myself, hearing her cry in her first few responses went straight to my heart. EXCELLENT JOB MAGGIE! EXCELLENT JOB CONTROLLER AND INSTRUCTOR!!!!!! Im soo happy that this worked out as well as it did. Thrown into the deep end with an incredible turn out!!! I hope she continues training as she will be an awesome pilot. She was able to overcome her emotions and tackle the situation at hand.
Saw this on a different channel over a year ago. Her father was in the comments: Yes, she continued flying and he was very proud of her! Just like all of us are.
I agree, considering her age and inexperience, the pilot did a super job. She may be a student pilot, but she is also a veteran of an emergency.
Me too 😊 Great job girl 😊
She was back at it in a matter of weeks. Both parents are Air Force pilots.
When I was a student pilot I learned on a runway that was 50 feet wide. My instructor said if I can keep it on the pavement there I could keep it on centerline anywhere. He was prophetic. Maggie did great, as an Air Traffic Controller (retired), big kudos to the tower controller for keeping Maggie safe and calm and her instructor for leading her to a safe landing. Thank you Kelsey for the kind words. As always, keep the blue side up!
That calm voice and clear instructions made the world of difference.
Getting through this so early in her flying career will make her a better pilot. She KNOWS she can do this now. That confidence is a huge boon for her. Nothing can compare to actually experiencing and overcoming this kind of adversity. Great job, Maggie!
Well, thank God we already know that she persevered in her well, whether it’s her chosen field of work, or for pleasure. But I can see how it would either do what you said or make someone decided to hang up there pilots hat. Chances are if you’re brave enough to be a pilot in the first place, it’s gonna be what you said. But potential PTSD can be a funny thing. Not in the ha ha way either.
Given her experience level, I actually agree with him telling her to land on the center line as opposed to the left side of the runway. Landing on the centerline is what she is used to doing and telling her to land on the left would be one more thing for her to think about. Best to keep it as simple as possible.
That’s what I was thinking, too. Why complicate the already stressful situation by asking something different of her than what she’s used to? In all likelihood, the plane was going off the runway to the right, anyway. Also, who cares? At that point, it would be slow enough to walk away from whether it ended up on pavement or grass. Let insurance deal with the plane after the wreck, but make sure the occupants walk away. I feel that having her do every last thing as close to what she was used to as possible was probably the best way to ensure the best and most survivable outcome.
Having her focus on the center line during landing helped keep her focused.
I also agree with the instructor and disagree with Kelsey on the left. As you already said, she is used to it, and to keep it simple. Also, as the instructor said: normal landing. That center line is all she have to focus on, and is a nice path to follow. Less mental stress.
Great intuition
I'd think that landing centerline would be safer in case she overcorrected to the left too
I listened to this with tears coming to my eyes, thinking of how vulnerable Maggie must have felt. Across the Pacific, there are people delighted at how you performed, and that you landed safely. Good on you, Maggie!
My dad was a Navy pilot at the end of WWII. When I was learning from him to fly he would say, "Any landing you walk away from was a good landing." I soloed the day before my 16th birthday and I totally understand how she must have felt. From her reply "Yeah" when the controller first called her after the WACO pilot's message, you can hear she knew it was her plane the WACO pilot was reporting about. She did a great job!
Poor kid. The controller and the instructor both did amazing work! You can hear in her voice that they were successful in bringing her back from being overwhelmed to calm and rational.
If the controller needs to be like a babysitter, maybe the pilot should not be flying solo just yet. Curious what went wrong on the pre flight inspection.
@@Cloxxki It was the controller's choice to do that, they are trained to assist pilots in difficulty. It's their job. The pilot landed a plane without one of its mains, while talking herself through a respectable landing... After 30 hours experience. It was perfect timing for her to fly solo, and she showed how well she can handle herself under extreme pressure. Great young pilot!
@@Cloxxki shit happens. You can do a preflight but that doesn't stop random things like a wheel falling off from happening.
Or to add some who had propeller fly forward as come off while in the air
Would have been better if they didn't send her spinning circles around the airport. When someone gives me the mommy will make everything ok treatment, it doesn't make me stronger. It has the opposite effect. You can hear in the girl's voice that's exactly what happens. Be calm, steady voice, focus on me. That's what you need. Not a mommy.
As a service technician. Now that she’s down and safe, I want to have a discussion with the mechanic who last inspected the gear.
Exactly!
I would go a bit further. I would give him some rights followed by some lefts and vice versa
I'd be cautious to jump to any conclusions. These flight school planes probably receive more hard landings than any other type in existence. While it's possible something was missed by the A&P, it's also possible the damage happened between inspections. Ultimately, it's the pilot who's responsible to be sure their plane is airworthy prior to each flight.
@@Phyde4ux Perhaps training aircraft should have some sort of indicators on the landing gear that would show a red flag if they might have been overstressed? They're commonly used on packages to detect mishandling so they can't be too expensive.
@@Phyde4ux if it was broken bolts or stress fractures, it might not have been evident with a quick walk-around inspection.
I had no idea Howard Stern was a flight instructor.
You’re right, his voice sounded just like Howard’s!
ok whattttt...i`m a expert of identifying voices ..this guy sounds as much as howard stern as you sound like a donald duck quacking
@@thecoondog56 I'm an expert at identifying liars.
❤ she's calm and collected and a plus listening to her untrustworthy. MADE the best of a bad situation🎉 GREAT JOB MAGGIE
So proud of the pilot alerting ATC, Maggie, ATC, and her instructor. Love the analogy .... You have your luck bag, and your experience bag. Were I in Maggie's seat, I would have been filling a different kind of bag pretty quickly. Go Maggie!
Yep, it would've been a barf bag because I think my lunch would've come back up.
hahaha!
19:06 Also kudos to the other pilot on frequency that spoke up when he noticed the wheel depart from the aircraft! If he hadn't spoken up, she may never have realized the severity of her predicament and may not have received the radio help she needed. She would have been caught unaware upon landing.
That's exactly what I was thinking the whole video...
What was he supposed to do? Have a cup of coffee and ignore it? lol, c'mon. Please. Eh, no big deal, I won't bother to mention that pieces just fell of that plane.
No matter how many times I hear this one, it always makes me tear up and start to cry every time I hear her say "ok" those first two times
Same
Same! Nice to know we still have some feelings left.
Absolutely!
Me too. Every time. I think I actually sobbed the first time, and couldn't properly see the monitor for all the water... @Morbid Man Music: Yeah, it is certainly good to know, that we are not made of stone.
Agree with all of you.
I have a dear friend who trains ATCs. This one would have made her proud, as would the teenage pilot. Well done, everyone! The parents must have felt sick!
They actually were on the ground watching all of this.
That poor girl. Her voice tears me up. What a brave and cool young woman!!
1:42 I have three daughters. When this girl said "Okay" with such fear in her voice my eyes filled with tears. I hope somebody thanked the controller for her compassion and professionalism, and kudos to the instructor for being there for the student. And, judging from the "after" photo, she ended up a bit wide of the centre line.
I don't have any kids, just nieces and nephews, but by God, that crying Okay just about tore me up. It's only my faith that Kelsey wouldn't try to profit off of a horrible tragedy that allowed me to finish the video.
That got me as well. I really tear up watching this video.
I think i would invite he instructor and atc to a nice dinner for helping me.
I first heard this audio right when my 17yo daughter went away for the summer to flight school. Man, that was hard. The entire time my daughter was up in the air on her solo I was hearing this exchange in my head - and I couldn’t be there 😬. It actually helped to hear the ATC and instructor and how helpful they were. My daughter came home a pilot and had SO many stories of how the KECG controllers became her family that summer. She still misses them a year later ❤️
@@kevinmencer3782 exactly the same for me
Facts about Captain Maggie: 1. The Beverly Airport had just finished host an Antique Airplane airshows. Had the Waco not seen the wheel drop Maggie would have been unaware - during the landing 2. Maggie’s intended solo this time was to Portland ME - a round trip of 150 miles. 3. For over 20 year I have monitored the ATC stream and Beverly and watch airport activity near Runway 9 - Maggie always had a tremolo in her voice - before - but three years later it’s about gone! 4. The next day Maggie was solid in front of the cameras - she made it look easy dealing with the press. 5. Maggie expressed an interest in becoming a Navy pilot.
I'm not so sure on the first part as you can hear some stress in her voice already when she responds to the controller calling "Warrior 2496X, Tower". I think she definitely knew something was wrong already, might be that she heard it, but more likely she felt the plane react to the sudden shift in it's centre of gravity. She may not have known yet exactly what problem she had, but the change in her voice between reading back the take-off clearance and the controller calling to give her the pyrep from the Waco she knew something had gone wrong. She might have mistaken it for a control issue at first if she didn't hear anything and thus only knew the plane developed a tendency to roll and yaw to the left, which it would as the weight imbalance would cause the former and the drag imbalance the latter. So there is a good chance that when she began troubleshooting that which would have included reporting the issue to the controller that possibly would have led to considering the option of a low approach to overfly the runway for an external visual check by the tower. That would be a fairly normal thing to consider in the case of a sudden change in the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft like that, damage to the airframe, flight surfaces, or control surfaces are all suspects here. Thus where the conditions permit a visual check from the tower would be advisable as that could potentially identify the true nature of the problem and thus arm you to deal with said problem.
@@seraphina985 Nice analysis but it was a lot more simple. She heard on the tower frequency the WACO aircraft report that a wheel had fallen off. Right away she knew she was missing a wheel. I’ve got the ATC-Live app on my phone and was listening to the tower stream the day before and knew her voice before the gear incident.
>Had the Waco not seen the wheel drop Maggie would have been unaware - during the landing That wouldn't be the worst thing. If she never knew about the problem she would have landed normally and calmly, The plane was going to lose control once it touched down either way. It would be a hell of a shock to her, but she'd be on the ground at least.
@@robertmcglinchey3347 Also, how often is it that the tower is calling you RIGHT after your takeoff.
Kudos to Captain Maggie!
That was a beautiful display of humanity all around. The ATC was at the top of her game, the instructor was at the top of his game, and most importantly, Maggie was at the top of her game. The level headedness and communication was spot on, and the calm, reassuring tone of the ATC and instructor was very heart warming.
That luck bag and experience bag advice is so golden and brilliant! This could apply to some other industries and professions as well..
it's not brilliant, luck isn't something that runs out, simply gamblers fallacy bs.
@@doltBmBIf you rely on luck, you will indeed eventually run out. You just don't know when that will be.
@@jijonbreaker it is entirely possible to get lucky with luck, some people may rarely or ever get unlucky
@@doltBmBPlease just stop talking.
@@jijonbreaker you can't predict what will happen, that's what luck is, you may never "run out", or you may never win. both are possible.
“Your landing gear just fell off” The other call you don’t want from ATC
The first being: your plane is on fire
Would think ATC saying I am sure you had two wings now you only have one would be worse
The first being "When you're ready I have a number for you to call"
@@simonupton-millard "Jot down this number. Give me a call when you get parked."
@@badlandskid agreed that is worse
Instructing her to land on the centerline was a good choice, it was reinforcing that this is an almost-normal landing and to consistently do all the things that are familiar to her. And as you said, with a plane this size it doesn't really matter if the was on the left or on the centerline.
Plus, if she landed left and gave too much left rudder, it could have easily taken her off the left side of the runway before slowing down as much, risking greater damage/injury. You're right, this wasn't a time to try new things unnecessarily. It was a time to keep everything as normal as possible.
That poor girl, she was so brave, she fought through the panic, rallied and got on with it. I love the support staff, control tower, all of them. Well done, very inspiring.
I love how the first ATC kept her calm and spoke in a calming manner. I know her parents were proud of how she handled it.
Damn, Kelsey, this one made me cry. My heart broke to hear the terror in that young woman's voice and then how ATC and her flight instructor were able to calm her down and focus was amazing. I'd say that for a new pilot she still has a lot of luck in the one bag plus many experience tokens in the other. Hope she keeps on following her dreams in aviation.
There’s a video clip from news coverage of this event, and they show she was right back up in the air a few days later!
@@erich930 that's great to hear! I was wondering if she would decide against aviation or not after this early experience, so I'm glad to hear she was able to keep going :)
Did you really cry?
@@3ducs Yes. Is it a problem for you that I have compassion and empathy for others? Hearing that young woman sounding so scared and overwhelmed struck me as if she was my own child. What the hell are you scared about?
My feelings too. I'd say that if anything, she's topped up her luck bag rather than running it down at all. And as for the experience bag, what better validation is there that you've got what it takes than walking away unscathed from such an emergency so early in your training? This isn't a nebulous "what if" situation for her anymore. Now she knows she can handle it.
I remember my solo days and my heart broke as soon as i heard her crying! Kudos to Mama Bear Controller!! We all need a Mama Bear sometimes.
Wow Maggie, you are one calm cookie, I think you will become all you can imagine. Kudos to the controller and former coach, quick thinking on their behalf. All the best.
Ray Ramano did a fantastic job talking her through the landing. I had no idea he knew how to fly.
HAHAH thank you I was having a hard time putting my finger on that voice
That’s why everyone loves him
1. Stay calm. 2. Remember the basics. Two of the most important life lessons, IMO.
I've seen/heard this one before, but one of the things I like about the people involved is how they're setting up their student for success - one of the key elements for quality trainers.
That's pretty much the only route in aviation. Failure is usually death.
Have heard this a couple of times now and I can’t imagine how Maggie must have felt in the plane. Excellent handling by ATC and the instructor popping up on radio comforting her is always great to hear:
Just saw a short that showed the actual landing, and Maggie put that plane down almost perfectly on the center line, as softly as it is possible without wheels! 😎 She could not have done better. Great job by all involved!
Link?
That wasn’t actually this flight they just over played the audio
I'm a grown man and this makes me tear up listening to this. Especially given her experience level and being faced with a situation that pilots typically don't train for and there's no emergency procedure to turn to on how to handle it. That was probably the most valuable hour of flight training she will ever receive. Fantastic job to all involved and this pilot would fly with her anytime.
I thought being father to a daughter was the cause for this, because I had the same reaction. I couldn’t stop thinking it was my little girl facing the same situation. Bravo for Maggie for doing a great job and getting safely to the ground.
Something tells me, if the student was male, the instructions wouldn't have been as tender. Probably would have bitched to him why he didn't check the WHEELS during a pre-flight inspection.
Me too
@@sethk1698 That would be sexist. There is no reason her being female makes her any less capable of handling the situation than if she were male and she shouldn't be treated differently because of her Gender. The point is that she was very inexperienced, which would have been exactly the same situation if it had been a male pilot.
... and the next time in the future something goes wrong, she has this to think back to and go, "Meh, whatever, we've done this before, we'll just do it again".
This one chilled me to the bones when I heard this the first time. Her quivered 'ok'...just punctured my heart. But she pulled it together with the help of many and did what she needed to do! Thanks for covering this one Kelsey, I was hoping you would! Have a great week everyone!
glad you enjoyed it HSBVT
My feelings exactly!!
@@74gear as someone who never flown, I especially appreciated your explanations of what was going on, when it was going on. I would love to learn to pilot, but as a senior on disability, that’s probably not in my future. But still, I clicked on this video, and was very glad I did, I certainly will encourage any interested grandchild to get their pilot license. Thanks again. I didn’t click on this to be entertained but to learn something and I certainly did. Have a good day. 😊
I'll bet this gave her a ton of confidence when it was all said and done. In the airplane and in life. Flying is like that. It can be tremendously challenging, but when you succeed it bleeds over to other areas in your life. Loved it.
I've seen this story several times. I want to see a video of Maggie talking about her experience and what she's up to now! 🙂
she did get back in the air about a month after the inccedent
Everyone involved should be commended! ATC should really get a pat on the back, she calmed her down quickly, what a great job!
Excellent job by everybody !!! I'm so glad she wasn't hurt.
One of the best stories I've heard of atc. The calming effect was the reason she wasn't overwhelmed. Very calm no rushing no yelling and zero apprehension. You literally are their only lifeline. This poor pilot had to be so extremely shook, any confusing directions could have been catastrophic.
How in the WORLD does a wheel fall off? Should be impossible and hopefully they make sure no more just drop off these planes. This is ridiculous!
@@baneverything5580 you know the ntsb showed up the next day. this was the Happy Ending for the pilot vid, not the fatality/wreck vid sad one.
@@baneverything5580 Answer! People are prone to make mistakes! It's why people inspired governments wind failing & killing people by the millions, vs a Creator inspired government, as we [Once] had!
@@em1osmurf Don't you just love it that no Gov. agency's "show up" & investigate the 250,000 to 800,000 annual "medicine" caused/ [leading cause of death] Iatrogenic deaths? see. the Johns Hopkins [low-ball] iatrogenic study , then the well documented book, Death by Medicine by Dr. Null! (Check it out!)
@@em1osmurf oh yeah I bet a team was grabbing their gear almost as soon as that wheel came off.
When the flight instructor tells her to try and maintain center line he is also getting her mind off of something scary (missing a wheel) and onto something she has practiced (landing on the center line) which likely helps her shift focus from being scared to doing something she's done before. Very clever and excellent crisis management.
I think the instructor was just keeping everything as calm and simple as possible.
Yes, and he wasn't talking to her like she was a baby. He had the right You Can Do This attitude. So she became more confident and stopped being on the verge of tears which doesn't help the situation. If only they didn't keep her flying in circles forever.. what was it? Nine loops around the airport or something that ridiculous. That's like waiting for someone to pull your tooth. And waiting. And waiting. Ugh.
When the instructor told her to use rudder to keep the centerline, he was using psychology on her. He's being very confident, and sounding as if this is something he expects her to handle with ease. As if he can't imagine that she can fail. That was a big load of confidence delivered to her in a very short time. The rest is just the details of the procedure.
Even the way the instructor worded things was fantastic. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing with every phrase. I have a ton of respect for him and she obviously did as well. Kudos to the whole team that brought her back down safely! Excellent job on Maggie's part to rise up to the situation and deal with it like true pilot.
Yes good point.
This. Keep your expectations. This is how and why we train like we do. Anyone can 'point & shoot'; being a *pilot* is knowing what to do when things go wrong. Absotively posilutely what I'd expect from a good CFI *and* a good student. Effin' dusty air again!
Yes, exactly. He handled it perfectly, giving her confidence. Not talking to her as if she was a helpless baby and making her break down nearly in tears. It would have helped if they cleared her to land right away instead of making her loop in nine circles around the airport. In spite of that, she landed. Because she had the training and skills. Not because someone did the mommy routine. That would've messed me up. Better to say You got this. You will get your plane down just fine and we are standing by.
@@cantfindmykeys flying in circles is routine flying. It gave her time to calm down and get mentally ready to proceed. It also gave the tower personnell and the instructor time to talk over options. Plane is flying, the only issue is if it can be landed in a survivable way. You don't rush into it if you can do it slowly and deliberately.
Back when this happened a few years ago, she was immediately dubbed Captain Maggie and "adopted" by ATC channels with people commenting "Oh, Maggie could have landed that" and other bizarre exploits and comments like AF1 gives way to _her_
wow! Great start of a career :D
I remember that. It was a bit like Chuck Norris jokes, only for aviation. She's quite the legend. 🙂
That is cool! 😄
Having an all grown up daughter, every time I hear Maggie's initial radio call I choke up. I can only imagine how her parents felt watching this play out in real time while not knowing the outcome. I know mom and dad are so proud of her.
Fuck "the lord". Your "lord" had absolutely nothing to do with this. what is it with you people and undermining the amazing feats of humanity and crediting "the lord" with everything from start to finish? Thank the ATC, her flight instructor and Maggie herself instead, give them the credit for an amazing job. Let's all "thank the lord" when babies get cancer or when genocide occurs as well, cause it's "the lords way", right? Delusional. @@breadandcircuses8127
I have watched this video at least a hundred times and I am always amazed the quality of help she received!!!! I haven't flown in 40 years and my heart soars every time I see this.
Maggie, I don’t know you, but I am darn proud of you. A big hug to Mama Bear ATC and to Papa Bear Instructor. We need more people in this world like those three fine people! 👏
Aye. We do!
Just want to say I love all you “grown ass” guys who feel for her with her shaky voice. You’re the best! Hooray for Maggie, we’re all glad you’re OK! And ATC lady…you’re our heroine!
Wonderful presentation. It was heart warming to hear the lady in the tower take the right attitude and calm the pilot down. Getting the instructor on the radio was another great move.
Kudos for her on how she handled the situation. Well done! She’s going to be a great pilot! ❤️ This experience will serve her well in her future.
She was doing a very good job at aviating and communicating! Besides, once she has survived this and landed successfully, I think it gives her the courage that "if I could do this, I can definitely land under normal circumstances like a boss!".
100% after this normal flying is going to be boring for her haha... which is what most pilots are looking for... nice and boring!
@@74gear About 35 years ago I heard about a man at a grocery store buying some food. He had all sorts of foreign money in his pocket and kept looking for US Money.... He apologized for the delay saying that he had just gotten back to the US after flying to a few countries across the Pacific as an Airline Pilot. The cashier said: "That must be exciting!" His answer was: "Not if I do my job right..."
@@timengineman2nd714 I was a truck driver for many years. Drivers and Pilots have a lot in common. Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. I always said: “Excitement is bad, it means something went wrong…”
after this, shes ready for carrier landing, since those are controled cashes. not trying to said anything wrong, just that those are realy hard
At one point, that young lady was just a teardrop away from panic! Getting back from the threshold was quite a feat. Chapeau!
She was. And it was because of the babytalk. It made her feel helpless instead of confident that she could handle it. It's not always the best thing to coddle somebody. Better if they sense that you believe in their abilities and they can do it.
@cantfindmykeys What? That makes no sense at all. All the ground personnel, from the ATC operator to her flight instructor said and the right things for the situation. There was no baby talk there, that's absurd. What they did was help that young woman believe in herself and land the plane.
@@cantfindmykeysi didnt hear any baby talk from either ATC or her instructor. Nurturing / supporting is not the same as baby talk. Obviously, hearing her instructor calmed her more than anything, but the ATC woman did a great job. Personally, if i was in that pilot's situation, I would have been very grateful for people keeping their instructions very simple, so as to not overload me.
@@padmelotus ok so join my fan club. I just listened to the conversation between atc and a young pilot on his first solo flight who had his throttle stuck and it was so calm and he never once lost his cool or sounded afraid. And atc was very matter of fact and attentive and he brought his plane down without any drama whatsoever. So you fly with Maggie. I will fly with a confident, clear headed pilot who doesn't get emotional in a crisis and doesn't need to be coddled.
@@padmelotus and it was definitely baby talk. Don't be afraid, mommy is right here.. oh please. Mommy says get a grip on yourself and bring the plane down in one piece.
I just love that kid. Every time I’ve heard those communications, I feel such powerful tenderness and equally powerful pride on her behalf. She has almost no experience and she’s already a pilot.
A very courageous young woman. After this nothing will ever faze her. She should be very proud of herself, well done.
I'm a mom and that first little wobble in that girl's voice made me tear up. Poor thing.
Me too
I'm a dad... same.
No kids, but as an Uncle I heard my 17 year old niece's voice cracking, and my protection mode kicks in with a, 'oh hell no. This is not going to happen to this girl'. I believe that is what we were hearing from everyone on the radio too.
@@cenccenc946 Yes for sure! It makes you want to just superman it out there and save her! (The "I'm a mom" bit sounds so obnoxious omg I didn't mean it like that. Just that all I am is a mom and no aviator lol I'm too ditzy and chicken 😂😂😂)
Months later, I was taxiing at this airport one morning, and realized that the plane in front was this pilot. It was awesome to see her getting back in the air.
Maaaaaggie! \o/
If true, I'm so gratified to hear she's still flying. She certainly should keep flying: she has so many experience coins in her bag from that incident. I'd love to see a video from her in 10 years when she's a very experienced pilot, reminiscing about this incident.
That's great to hear. This definitely has the potential to make someone not want to go back to flying (and nobody should be blamed for making that decision).
Blessings to all and that dear young lady, well done!
Hats off to the brilliant ATC, and to the courageous young girl for getting it safely on the ground!
I once heard someone say that a good landing is one that you can walk away from. She did a great job and so did ATC.
A great landing is when you can reuse the plane
@@wesss9353 😂😂😂
@@wesss9353 perfect*
I remember this years ago. Her mom was also there that day. I couldn't imagine her anxiety watching her daughter bring that in. Kudos to everyone involved here.
@Snap Malloy while I understand your comment, unless her Mom saw that the plane had one wheel missing, she would not know what was happening in the air. She could not hear the atc polit conversation, like we do here in the video. If the mother saw the landing and how that plane wound up, this may be the moment that the Mother found out that her daughter was in trouble. And I hope Maggie keeps flying, as indeed she did a great job. Not one pilot so maybe I'm not knowing what I'm typing here about flying one plane.
@@isallah1kafir196 YOU HOPE!
@@isallah1kafir196 Her mother was in the airforce
@@MsJubjubbird Well after I typed my comment I thought that maybe there is more to the story as I know, thanks for filling me in.
@@isallah1kafir196 Of course, the fire trucks and ambulance could be a clue
This kid will be able to handle anything in life. Great Job Maggie
I cry every time I hear this! That controller and the instructor were awesome and Maggie was so brave! Stellar work steadying her nerves so quickly. Impressive. t’s so great to come across little snippets like this, where humanity is at its kindest. Thanks for sharing this.
Some fun facts - the student pilot, Maggie Taraska, was 17 at the time of the incident. I think she is still technically a student pilot (at least, she is according to the FAA Airman registry). The airplane, N2496X, was successfully repaired and put back into service, though it hasn't flown recently (FlightAware shows it last landed on Thursday 4/15/2021).
As a pilot and dad of a little girl, I’m so proud of this young lady. We’ll done Maggie 💜
Losing a wheel will make any pilot nervous, never mind a student on her first solo cross country trip.
Thrilling story. Great job Maggie and everyone who helped her!
This was so heartwarming. So many of these videos are about idiots or in the best case scenario misunderstandings.
Is a person who went through flight school, with a child now going throught flight school, I was in tears. But Maggie handled this so well. As did the controller and and instructor
B-52s -- lots of inflight emergencies, lots of people in the cockpit to assist. One could not have a better instructor than an old B-52 pilot.
Lots of engines and lots of thrust levers, too! XD
B-52 with loss of an engine: "Ah yes, the dreaded 7-engine landing."
When I was a kid, I used to watch B-52s fly over about 300 to 500 feet above me while I was plowing a field. And this was 100 miles from the nearest SAC base. Imagine having an inflight emergency at 300 feet.
@@ericjohnson5969 .....good God that must have been terrifyingly loud. Whereabouts did this occur, and why your area in particular so far from base ?
@@msr1116 They were the old "oil burner routes".used by SAC (Strategic Air Command) for low level training flights. They would end (at least much of the time) with bombing approaches to a certain spot. I'm not sure, but I think that they originally used flour sacks to bomb the target and later did it electronically. I think that the training targets were at least 100 miles from us so we were likely about halfway along the routes. I don't remember them as being particularly loud, though. Of course, I usually saw them from a tractor and the noise from the tractor would be greater to me than the sound of the aircraft. When we were at the house and they flew over, we would definitely hear them and we loved it. Imagine working on the farm all day six days a week and about the only time you saw anyone outside your own family was at church on Sunday mornings. Having B-52s fly over like that were a welcome, temporary distraction.
Bravo Maggie! You a brave young lady. The way you kept your composure was so impressive in such a stressful situation. Top marks to the instructor too. Excellent job, nice one Sir. Greetings from 'old' England btw.
Great Channel! I'm not a pilot or into flying at all, but I was on the edge of my seat through this whole video! Great speaker, great graphics, great presentation. Thanks!
I am so proud of Maggie, her flight instructor and the tower controller. Well done all!
YAY MAGGIE! Good job! When I first heard her crying "ok", I'ma admit, I fully went into "mom mode" too. What a great job by everyone, so glad she's safe!
Oh my gosh when she sounded so scared at first! Poor girl, she was trying so hard to be strong and it certainly paid off for her. She had all the perfect people on the ground helping her out. What a story
This channel has provided a lot of insight into flights and what pilots go through when flying, appreciate it!
I love the immediate switch the flight controller takes when she learns she's speaking with a student pilot, taking a very soft and reassuring approach/tone.
This one always makes me tear up, listening to the amount of support she has up in the air, the controller and the flight instructor really were her best friends in that moment, and it's a beautiful thing to behold
Have watched this several times on various channels over the years, still gives me goosebumps.
What an amazing group of people! I appreciate experiencing this wonderful exchange. 💛 Kudos!