'This Is Gonna Be Fun,' Pilot Attempting To Fly From Central California To Hawaii Recounts Rescue In Ocean
HONOLULU (KPIX 5) – A pilot who attempted to fly a small plane from the Central Valley to Hawaii recalled being rescued in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, after he was forced to ditch his plane because of low fuel last weekend.
Lue Morton was trying to deliver a plane from Tracy to Maui. After telling authorities that he was running out of fuel 250 miles from his destination, he was asked to ditch the plane near a cruise ship.
Morton deployed a parachute from the plane to soften the blow. While the Coast Guard recorded video of his descent, the pilot also recorded a GoPro video in the cockpit.
His video shows the ocean below, a look at the cruise ship that came to save him. He then points the camera at the parachute and mouths the words, "This is gonna be fun." The ship sent a vessel to pull him out of the water, no injuries were reported.
"Without any injuries is a pretty remarkable thing to be able to say," Morton said, days after his rescue.
Morton works for a company that transports planes. The final destination for the plane was supposed to be Australia.
