Page 20 - Brian Hooker News Today

Ground. >> i was thinking, wow, we are alive. >> alive, but the cockpit is smashed in and the two are hanging upside-down. daryl struggles to get a cell phone from brians pocket and manages to call 911. >> engine 26 is on the scene. >> captain mike flowers is among the first to arrive. >> it was certainly something i couldnt comprehend. ive never seen an aircraft stuck in power lines like that. were going to need a crane up here. we had to make sure that the power was secured. we were dealing wi...

>> the novice pilot knows his only chance is to glide the aircraft to the ground. >> it is a heavily wooded area. planes and trees dont mix. kind of like a blow dryer and a bathtub. >> to make matters worse, it was dark.ç >> but then a break. >> i spotted a dark clearing between two evenly cut sets of trees. and in my mind i said there we go. >> as the plane descends, the two men brace for impact with the ground. then, just seconds before they touch down, a crash and a dazzle of lights. >> i i...

Ground. >> i was thinking, wow, we are alive. >> alive, but the cockpit is smashed in and the two are hanging upside-down. daryl struggles to get a cell phone from brians pocket and manages to call 911. >> engine 26 is on the scene. >> captain mike flowers is among the first to arrive. >> it was certainly something i couldnt comprehend. ive never seen an aircraft stuck in power lines like that. were going to need a crane up here. we had to make sure that the power was secured. we were dealing wi...

All i could see was fireworks. it was sparks everywhere. >> i instantly knew, oh, no, we hit power lines. >> police. >> these are the passengers of the airplane that is caught in the power line. >> you are on the plane that crashed into the power line? >> yes, we are in the plane. right now. both of us. >> two men caught in a death-defying, high-wire act. for brian hooker, a 31-year-old atlanta technology entrepreneur, flying has been a lifelong dream. >> i got an opportunity to fly and immediat...

The weather was great. and we seemed to be making great time. >> in fact, theyre making such good time that according to brians calculations they have plenty of fuel to spare. so he decides to skip a scheduled fuel stop in tennessee. >> approaching knoxville, based on all the information i had, i felt like we were right on schedule. we could make it with room to spare. >> but then an hour past knoxville and still 30 minutes from their intended airport, an unnerving surprise. >> the fuel in the r...

Starting to cut off circulation to the other parts of my body. he couldnt feel his legs. i couldnt feel my legs. >> rescuers draped two slings around the fuselage to create a makeshift harness, supporting the weight of the plane. now more than 50 rescuers worked ever so cautiously around the web of wires which even without power could become deadly whip if one of them snaps. >> the force exerted by one of those lines had it become dislodged could have been as much as 10,000 pounds. >> the rescue...

>> the novice pilot knows his only chance is to glide the aircraft to the ground. >> it is a heavily wooded area. planes and trees dont mix. kind of like a blow dryer and a bathtub. >> to make matters worse, it was dark. >> but then a break. >> i spotted a dark clearing between two evenly cut sets of trees. and in my mind i said there we go. >> as the plane descends, the two men brace for impact with the ground. then, just seconds before they touch down, a crash and a dazzle of lights. >> i inst...

>> the pressure from my body was starting to cut off circulation to the other parts of my body. he couldnt feel his legs. i couldnt feel my legs. >> rescuers draped two slings around the fuselage to create a makeshift harness, supporting the weight of the plane. now more than 50 rescuers worked ever so cautiously around the web of wires which even without power could become deadly whips if one of them snaps. >> the force exerted by one of those lines had it become dislodged could have been as mu...

Smashed in and the two are hanging upside-down. daryl struggles to get a cell phone from brians pocket and manages to call 911. >> engine 26 is on the scene. >> captain mike flowers is among the first to arrive. >> it was certainly something i couldnt comprehend. ive never seen an aircraft stuck in power lines like that. were going to need a crane up here. we had to make sure that the power was secured. we were dealing with the wind kicking up, possibly dislodging the plane. of course we were wo...

So we traveled up to cleveland to make that happen. >> the flight north is perfect. after spending the holiday with his girlfriends family, he expects an equally smooth return south. the only difference, this time he takes along a passenger, daryl robinson, his girlfriends cousin, whos also headed back to atlanta. this will be daryls second flight ever. but he says hes not nervous. >> he said he was instrument rated. obviously that is a rather skilled pilot. he knows what he is doing. he can fly...