Carla Jimenez and Marcos Paredes

00:02 Hello, my name is Carla Jimenez and I am here today December 5th 2020 with my father was but it is and he is going to be sharing a story one of many that he has about being a pilot and living in living in Big Ben.

00:29 Hello, my name is is Marcos Paredes, and I'm 65 years old. Today is Saturday, December 5th, 2020 and that I live up against Big Bend National Park near Terlingua, Texas.

00:51 And I'm here today with my daughter Carla Jimenez who might have just recently connected with and

01:03 I'm going to be telling with the tail of a an incident that I had with a forced Landing over Big Bend National Park.

01:14 So on my first visit and only visit this far visiting my father visiting you out in Terlingua. I had a really cool person to take a flight in your plane and I was super cool experience and I guess I'd like you to kind of start off by telling me about the time that you had to emergency land your plane in the park. So if you can kind of tell me how that day started and how the day kind of how everything transpired be happy to do that and I'm going to start first with just a little background on. I'm a retired Ranger here at Big Bend National Park shortly after retirement.

02:06 I started getting bored and decided I needed to start a new business and I started in here to her operation.

02:18 Offering flights over the Big Bend Ranch State Park in Big Bend National Park. That's what I do. And you know, I I feel like a ice. I spent 40 years out here accumulating all this worthless trivia that I get to share with folks now and take them up and show them the park and I tell them what I know about it.

02:41 And so in doing that.

02:45 On one particular flight

02:49 It was a I believe it was a Sunday the 22nd of November just before Thanksgiving had a couple scheduled for a flight.

03:01 Charles Midgley and his girlfriend and

03:07 We are we were scheduled to fly at 1 I got there early like I always do.

03:14 But I always conduct a pre-flight inspection of my plane before I go up and check the aircraft out and make sure I've got it.

03:24 Eric Whitfield and shortly after that my customers showed up. I gave him a safety orientation, which I do with all of my flights.

03:39 Not just because I think it's a good idea but the FAA also requires it and I think it's a good idea. So I gave him a safety briefing and talk to him about where we would be going. What would we would be seeing and what my plan was for an emergency if we should have won.

04:02 Course covered everything with him, you know.

04:08 We're all the Emergency Equipment is in the plane and what we would do if we had a forced Landing so that was all covered.

04:23 I got everybody loaded up and

04:26 Aura

04:29 Or flight started out pretty uneventful as I take off. I usually put myself right over the turn angle Creek Flats cuz you know, if you're going to have a problem usually it's right after takeoff, so I always set myself up over a nice clear area as I'm climbing out that also happens to put me going right over past my house on Terlingua Creek.

04:57 Anda

05:00 We we started our flight and course that I went through my usual speed of like I always do pointing out some of the historic structures and sites around there and doing a kind of a thumbnail geology lesson. So that folks know what they're actually see it on the ground below.

05:21 And on this particular flight this was going to be an hour-and-a-half flight that takes in both parks the state park in the National Park.

05:31 And they're so I headed us off over towards the Big Bend Ranch State Park.

05:37 Going past the old mining District of chilling with a ghost town of Terlingua. And then the waldrup mine at the Via de la Mina and

05:50 It courses as we're flying along and pointing at all the stuff that we're seeing down below the old mining operations and following the Old Government Road. That was the old Wagon Road. That folks took.

06:03 Up to Marfa at the turn of the century, you know 7-Day wagon ride from here to 10. So we're kind of following that road as we come over the state park. And again, I'm pointing out some of the geologic features and natural features Madrid Falls. I'm doing a tour. I'm trying to introduce him to a

06:25 To the Big Bend

06:28 And course at the same time. I'm also very conscious of where we are and what my options are if I should have a problem. You know, I I know that just ahead of me is the big strip for the state park headquarters 5000 foot long Runway. That's paid per probably one of the best runways at here in the middle of nowhere and we had a on through the state park and head over towards the Devil's Playground, which is it a huge volcanic ash field in again keeping.

07:09 Insight my options the Alles on ranches is off to my West and it's got a good Runway and of course, you know my standard for all my flights is to maintain a safe altitude. I fly high enough, so if I have a problem

07:29 I have enough altitude I can glide in and laying somewhere.

07:34 And then my other responsibilities to know where I'm going to land, where would I go? So we continue our tour over this people can of gas fumes that that is not is the Devil's Playground.

07:50 Actually, it was one of those older.

07:54 One of the old trading sites for NASA when they were preparing for the lunar Landing. They did a lot of their trading after this area beautiful area and we cover that and then head back over the state park back towards the Rio Grande.

08:10 And I fly over a couple of the Canyons of the Rio Grande. We're going to follow the Rio Grande back over towards Big Bend National Park come over Colorado canyon and back towards the Heat this headed back to the National Park.

08:30 ISM Crossing into the national park. We're coming over the Mesa the argeela which is a it's a

08:37 A big volcanic uplift where a fault line push the ocean floor up uninformed a big Mesa that fractured into a the huge crack a gorge in the ground that form Santa Elena Canyon since way the Canyons probably one of the most iconic features here in the big band. It's a huge Gorge beautiful Canyon 1500 ft deep seven miles long one of the main things that folks come to see

09:12 And we are

09:15 Baking over the canyon. I like to do a series of s turns over the canyon to show them the gorge and as I'm doing my first turn over the canyon.

09:33 I hear an explosion the plane rocks.

09:37 And all of a sudden there's oil all over my windshield.

09:44 And I know I know I've had a catastrophic engine failure something really bad has happened and you prepare your mind you've prepared for something that is always in the back of my mind always is you know, what do I do? If

10:07 If things go to hell if something bad happens, where do I go now? And I've always planned. You know, where are my best options or it isn't turning over the river?

10:22 There is a long flat very shallow stretch of the river the doldrums we call it. It's a real flat slow stretch and I look down there. I see there's a raft in there.

10:37 In the doldrums, and I consider that for a minute. I think I could land on.

10:43 That flat stretch, but I look and I think I have enough altitude to make the rim of the canyon so I turn away from the river.

10:53 And head towards the rim of the Mesa.

10:57 The Mesa is is a

11:02 1500 feet high and so I know if I make it to the rim, I have another 1,500 feet of altitude to land with the Glide with

11:13 So I turn the aircraft.

11:17 Towards the rim and I set up Best Glide. Okay, that's a

11:23 That is the speed at which my aircraft will travel the farthest.

11:31 While losing minimal altitude in my plane, that's somewhere between 75 and 80 miles per hour, but the scent at 75 to 80 miles per hour.

11:45 Amda, that will get me the

11:50 Biggest bang for my buck as far as altitude and AirSpeed goes so I'm headed towards the rim and I can kind of see the rim of the canyon through the haze in the oil and I'm losing altitude pretty quick.

12:06 And I'm beginning to wonder if I will make it to the rim of a canyon.

12:15 It's just ahead. The Temptation is.

12:21 To to stretch it, but you know.

12:26 If if I try to hold the airplane up, I lose their speed and I risk stalling out. If I point the nose down to build up your speed. I'm going I'm just sending much faster. So I'm holding my best.

12:44 Rate of glide on the plane and

12:58 I'm headed to the rim and

13:03 I realize that I need to throw a call out there in the blind. There's nobody else flying around that I know of but

13:15 There are always somebody monitoring radio traffic Customs is out there border patrol the Rangers. So I throw a radio call out in the blind.

13:31 Maybe somebody will record it might be the last thing they hear and so I transmit, you know, mayday. Mayday 07 zoos.

13:42 I'm headed for Terlingua Creek. I'm going down.

13:49 And like I said, I just throw that out there hoping somebody will hear it and someone will come look for us.

14:00 And I'm headed to the rim and I'm thinking I'm not going to make it.

14:05 There's a side Canyon that comes off the rim off to the side a big deep side. Can you?

14:14 Appropriately named bruja Canyon the witch

14:20 And I decide that that is a

14:26 That's my Escape Route. That's where I need to get out.

14:30 It's a very narrow Slot Canyon in case you know, maybe

14:38 Maybe a hundred 150 ft wide

14:43 But when you're flying an airplane with a 42 ft wingspan, that's not a lot of leeway.

14:51 So I died down into the canyon the fact that I can point the nose down and pick up your speed. It's a big help to me. It'll help me travel further and keep from stalling out.

15:04 But it's a very narrow slot. I tell my passenger Charlie yet. I tell him I

15:11 To watch my wingtip and make sure I don't get too close to the wall.

15:16 My visibility is not good. The oil screen is covered with the windscreen is covered with oil.

15:23 But we do we dive down through the canyon.

15:27 And I know that country really well. That's what I've spent. My whole life doing is getting to know this country. And so I know that if I come through bruja qayyum

15:39 Little Eagle Creek Flats will be ahead of me.

15:43 This is the major drainage, Terlingua Creek.

15:47 And I come through the canyon and sure enough. I spotted a large flat landing area.

15:55 And it really was about this point really that my passengers really started to freak out starting to panic they were starting to to to scream and holler chords to the lady behind me is saying we're going to die.

16:19 And I just I did something that's kind of uncharacteristic for me. Is that them to shut up?

16:33 They said you need to just shut up.

16:37 And let me fly the plane.

16:41 And

16:43 And they did they comply they were you know, they calmed right down.

16:49 And

16:55 It really I think that was that was a point where I I heard.

17:01 My instructors

17:04 My instructors voice in my ear he was saying this is my old instructor. He passed away years ago, but I heard him saying

17:14 If the airplane is flying fly to your plate.

17:19 Don't quit flying the airplane.

17:22 So that's what I did. I flew the plane down through the canyon. I came over the flats and

17:29 When I saw the clearing ahead of me, I knew that I had it and I told my folks I said I got this.

17:39 Will be okay.

17:43 And so I set up to land.

17:50 Drop some flap so I could land the soap slower speed and slowed way down and it came in to land and the moment that my wheels touch the ground.

18:07 I knew I needed to get back up. There was a it was a big goalie in front of me and

18:15 I pulled back on the yoke.

18:18 The airplane became are bored again and I sit back down right on right on the other side of this girly.

18:27 And and then we coasted to a stop.

18:33 Really? Nice soft easy Landing

18:37 Shortest Landing I've ever made.

18:40 It was that I pasted off at about 240 feet.

18:45 Was course. I also was slowed down by the fact that I had this Dead stick in front of me this propeller if it wasn't doing anything so that slowed me down to but we came to a stop.

19:03 And you know it at some point when we were still over the Mesa. I had handed Charlie My Personal Locator Beacon. I handed it to him and I said turn this on and I gave it to him and I expected that he had turned it on.

19:20 Wella

19:23 That was so that someone could locate us, you know.

19:27 If the outcome was not good, but but it was good. It was a great landing. We just sat down there was no damage to the airplane other than the big hole where the cylinder came flying out the top of the cowling launched itself into space.

19:48 And I'm sure your past you had their life in your hands and you know, they're freaking out and then

19:59 You winded they were relieved we came to a stop and

20:07 I had a

20:12 I had a

20:16 Seriously stop. I told Nick to get out and get clear of the airplane.

20:22 And that they did we all got out and

20:26 All walked away and then stopped and looked over our shoulder at the airplane sitting there and

20:34 We were ecstatic.

20:37 Hugs all around everybody was hugging and we were just very very happy.

20:44 And then I went back to the aircraft and I got my radio app. You know what?

20:56 Of course, I did I told you I had worked as a ranger in the park. And then I also worked as a medic for Terlingua Medics. So I still carried a radio with to both Terlingua Medics and Big Bend Park dispatch, so I grabbed my radio.

21:16 And I called into the park. I told him I'd had an emergency landing and that we were all okay, and I told him where we were a mile and a half to 2 miles from Terlingua Baja, which is an abandoned old farming community on the banks of Terlingua Creek.

21:38 And that was really a consideration for me as well when I turned away from the river went towards the creep.

21:45 You know, you have to think about okay. Well if we do land where are we and where you want to be is somewhere where you can walk to erode or get help or something. So we we we we made it about 2 miles away from her.

22:02 An old dirt road at this abandoned forming community.

22:09 And I called dispatch and they

22:12 They did. What dispatch does they dispatch the rager?

22:16 So they had a Raiders headed our way. I told him.

22:23 That we would probably arrive at 2 rigua Baja back at the same time. We started walking at

22:29 Bend

22:32 I remember I remember telling

22:38 The young lady with a section. Yeah, I think you're going to have to take those high heels off.

22:46 Ruby Sandy, we got into a sandwich. She took her high heels off and we could hike down the sand wash to Terlingua Creek and I sure enough the Rangers were there waiting for us when we got there.

22:58 And so what?

23:02 Hi, sweetie.

23:05 So anyway, we got out of that. We got out of that. Okay. It was just a forced Landing. It was a landing like any other except I had actually planned on it.

23:19 And the

23:22 So now you're playing is stuck in.

23:27 This Canyon and do this Gully.

23:31 What's it is well, it's on the flats off the banks of Terlingua Creek and it's it's pork there.

23:40 Anata for a hike for us but not an easy place to get to that plane. And so we are.

23:49 We left the plane and hiked out and gave the Rangers summary of what happened. They filled out the case seems in a report which is, you know, part of what they do.

24:04 And contacted the FAA and told them that they had an emergency landing in the park.

24:11 And

24:14 They must have asked at least a dozen times. Are you sure? Nobody's hurt is everybody? Okay, nobody's hurt and I kept telling them. You said no reply.

24:28 And so they are they got the information they needed and they gave us a ride back to the to the airstrip in Terlingua.

24:39 And that was where I left brownie after it's my airplane.

24:50 And that I left my plane out there in the desert.

24:56 And course I spent the whole night wondering how the heck I was going to get it out.

25:05 Panda

25:08 Contacted the insurance company, you know, I contacted the insurance company and the agent asked me he said wow, I'm really sorry too to hear that.

25:23 You crashed your plane.

25:26 Which that was the first time I've heard that and that set me off and it always sets me off when somebody says I crashed my plane. I told him I said I didn't crash it. I was just forced away and it but I didn't crash it is still out there and he said so nothing happened to the plane and I said no the plane's fine and nobody was hurt and I said no everybody's fine. No one was hurt and he said

25:55 Well, if the plane wasn't damaged and no one was hurt. What's your claim?

26:03 And that's were we were as it turned out. I didn't have a clean because there was no damage and no injury and

26:13 So that was when I was starting to realize though, we'll this is all on me if you're at figure out how to get that airplane out.

26:22 Anda

26:25 I was pondering that course the park service's position was.

26:30 The write-off was well, we need to get that plane out of here as soon as we can.

26:37 So I talked to the insurance guy and he said well, yeah, you know, you have no claim for damages to your plane, but your insurance will cover extraction of the aircraft. We will pay the whole that thing out.

26:54 And we started looking at those options.

27:00 They said they could send skycrane out.

27:05 I believe they're the price for that was $28,000. They send a skycrane out that attach to it and they'd carry it off and I just needed to sign a release turning my plane over to him.

27:19 And I wasn't going to do that. I told him I said, you know, I went to a lot of trouble to keep from tearing that airplane up. I'm not going to just give it to you now.

27:34 And I told him I would figure out how to get it out of here.

27:39 And for me really that's what this story is really about. You know, we just talked about this forced landing and I know it sounds like a pretty incredible event, but it was just a forced Landing, you know, I mean after all every Landing that you make you do with power off throttle it back and you ain't hear it. So that seems like a terrifying situation but for you you were calm you knew what to do. So it says

28:20 I mean, I'm sure you were you must have been scared to some extender or nervous to some extent but you knew what to do and you stayed calm and you have the tools and the voice of reason in your head to land the plane. So, I'm sure the second half of the feet was the real story for you. It was getting how to get the plane out.

28:41 Will that for me that was that was the big thing that what you know, I have a lot invested in that. That's my livelihood and

28:52 I knew that if they brought us a skycrane then, you know, I work search and rescue in the park. I know how those things operate and they would have wrap some cables around and lifted it up and they would have crushed that thing would have been Trashed by the time they got it out there because they're concerned. It's not saving the aircraft is just getting it out of there.

29:16 So what?

29:20 This was the 22nd of November this happened and

29:27 The two days later was Thanksgiving. We have a big Gathering down here in Terlingua. We have had for years. This was the first year. We didn't have it because but we have a big Gathering of our friends for Thanksgiving big party. Everybody bring stuff everybody. I know is there and I showed up there and I knew that folks already heard bits and pieces about this so I am

29:57 I wrote this letter so that I wouldn't have to tell the story over and over I wrote this letter this Happy Thanksgiving that I just put on the table there. I said well if you want to know what happened and everybody was coming up to me and saying we'll how are you going to get your play now.

30:18 And I told them the truth. That's it. Will I don't know.

30:24 And I have a friend there.

30:27 Taz

30:29 Taz Tammy she has she come up and she said we'll luck. You got a lot of friends. She said we'll just we'll just go in there and we'll carry it out.

30:42 Which seemed pretty ridiculous but then as I thought about it I said well, yeah, that's what we'll do. I'll take all my friends.

30:52 And we'll go in there and we'll carry it out.

30:56 Anda

30:58 So again, when I contacted the park, they wanted me to sign the insurance form releasing the aircraft and I said no, I'll talk to the insurance company.

31:10 And

31:13 They said well.

31:16 We can pay we were going to pay $28,000.

31:22 Furthest skycrane to carry it out and he said we can actually cover a little more cost than that.

31:35 To get it out, but you have to figure out how you're going to do it.

31:40 And I believe the figure came to

31:44 About 47,000 that the insurance company would cover the hole that airplane at

31:51 And I told him I said, well I can get it out for less than that.

31:56 And so I asked him if I could subcontract to remove the airplane and he said sure as long as he can do it for less than this amount.

32:07 End

32:09 So I contacted my friends and I said we're going to do with Ted said we're going to go in there and we're going to carry the plane out which in fact, what we did is we went in there and dismantled. We took mules in there and tools and

32:27 A big wheel glitter, you know like you carry Patients Out of the backcountry on a litter with a big old ATV wheel on it and we got everything together got a couple of trailers couple of mules and we went and disassemble the aircraft and hauled everything we could take off of it out.

32:50 And

32:52 So Wings propeller all pieces of bed and course before I did this.

33:07 I had to submit a plan to the park service of proposal and course. You understand not many years ago. I would have been the guy that approve that plan. So I knew what that plan had to include, you know, it had to include all the mitigation efforts and the recovery and clean up and you know, you basically had to line out a plan for how you were going to get that thing out of there while having minimal impact on the parts resources.

33:47 So I wrote a plan up.

33:50 And if it was approved and course, they assigned somebody to go out there from the park to monitor the operation.

34:01 And FM course, I had to have all the necessary components of that plan in place including you know, a contingency for medical if somebody got hurt I had to have a medic on seed. I just happened to be one but I got one of my friends to service medic and so we we I wrote up a plan and submitted it and it was approved and

34:37 Course

34:42 We had to show that we were going to have minimal impact that things were going to be like they were before we got there.

34:53 So that was what we did we went in and

35:02 Hold this do that.

35:07 Act it out took everything to the campsite at your Madewell Baja where the trailers were.

35:14 And

35:18 Got everything.

35:21 Loaded up and dad are there and then my friends every one of them submitted an invoice.

35:29 For their their time their labor my friend submitted an invoice for the use of the mules and the mule trailer and the trailer for hauling the aircraft everybody submitted an invoice to me. They're charged for what they did in that operation.

35:49 Everybody submitted an invoice and I totaled them up and it came to just under $47,000.

35:58 So I got the airplane App. I submitted the bill to the insurance company. I said we got the airplane out and

36:08 Here's what you owe me for getting my airplane App.

36:12 Stop.

36:15 I took the plane to Del Rio on a trailer and I had this check from the insurance company for hauling the play Matt and I said put a new engine in this airplane.

36:29 And just a month ago. I took you up in it. So and better than knew there was only one thing that I added to Old Brandy after we rebuilt it. I bought a $5,000 engine monitor that tells me everything that's happening with that plane.

36:56 Constantly cylinder head temperature exhaust gas temperature oil pressure oil temp everything so that I will never be surprised like that again. I know what that her plane is doing every minute.

37:12 I guess it felt pretty much.

37:16 Wraps up that story in for me the what I learned there was a really the value of having good friends.

37:30 They all stepped up everybody stepped up. I didn't recruit anybody they all volunteered and they all went out there. It's a lot of work in a lot of hiking and a we got it at

37:43 And old granny is still flying today.

37:50 An amazing story from having to you no surprise land. Playing.

37:57 And then having all those people gather around instead of 12-hour day to take blade out piece by piece. That's incredible. And I got the best part of the story The plan is still it's better than they ever.

38:15 So Carl, I hope I have a chance to tell you how many more stories.