Two Mesa
helicopter pilots are being credited with helping the pilot of a small plane, after
his landing gear failed. Officer Darren Rigsby said he and his partner, both of
whom are flight instructors, were in the area when they found out about the
mechanical problems with the 1970 Cessna.
“The left main landing gear was not in a locked
position,” Rigsby said. “The position it was in at that point, it would not
hold the aircraft’s weight upon landing.”
Rigsby said they gave the pilot step-by-step
directions so he could get the aircraft on the runway at Phoenix-Mesa-Gateway Airport,
safely. The plane suffered some damage to its left wing tip and tail area and
there was a small fuel leak, but the pilot was able to walk away and spend the Fourth of July with his family.