Hak-SAR_070505

Pikangikum, Ont. Canada, 08.05.2005

RLBA-2 M-51: SAR Pikangikum area

Looks like Hak ...

There we go again!
... Responding to a transmission and request from CYPM

Transcript-
"Total breakdown of electrical equipment forced a emergency landing
While en route to dESPairt retreat, Cpt. Hak reported problems with the electric equipment of the plane. Shortly after the radio communication failed and we heard nothing from Cpt. Hak for several hours. We now have some data on his whereabouts. Plane: DHC2 / StorkLake / C-GFIQ. Outbound Pikangikum heading 265°, flight time no less than 8 minutes from CYPM. Cpt. Hak managed to send information with his radio hand device. Transmission was bad, so we only know he is waiting next a little longish lake and is maintaining a fire for smoke signalement. If you can take up a search flight, please contact this mission HQ for maps and required sim data, so we can coordinate search efforts."

Oh shoot! We'd better get our act on the road ...
We really need to find the boss ... er, he still owes me a few things :-)

07.05.2005
Saturday morning; weather looks good/clear enough, at least that should make it possible to do a visual search ... Keep our fingers crossed and hope we find something.
But first we -Coop's flying right seat- have to swing by at Sabourin, check with Pieter for the latest news and take aboard some tools and spares that could be useful.

We took off from Chimo - CKS4, our takeoff run in a 110º heading, facing the wind and flew then low over CYRL -permission granted- enroute to Sabourin - CKS1. Landing again in a 110º, right between the islands and heading straight for Sabourin's facility.

Met Pieter on the dock.
Aside from giving us the latest news and a large crate full of tools and spares, he seemed to show interest for our plane
> "So, guys, what's this? It looks just like an Otter, but that sound! I could hear you from miles away ...".

-For this occasion we decided to take the 'Polish Otter' out of Chimo's pool-

= "You got that right, Pieter; it's still an Otter but it has a 'newer' engine ..."

>"OK, now go and try to find that nutty swiss guy; take good care and bring 'em back ... he's of much value to our small operation, you see ... (cpt. Hak is based at Sabourin and helping out the company) ... Clear skies!"

Hmm, he's even beginning to sound a bit like Hak; taking over some of his expressions ...

Right, so we taxi out to the lake and the small islands for take off; turn for a 110º and hit the throttle ...

>"Oh mamma! guys? ... and on the way back I'd like to know more about that plane, OK?"

That was Pieter on the radio, just after we were airborne, a 'quick jump out of the water' with 1000 horsies pulling a very lightly loaded Otter.

Cruised our way to Pikangikum at 1250 to 1300 ft agl and doing a more less constant 140 mph. Passed close to Kirkness Lake and reached the Pik at around 9.20.

(click on the snapshots to enlarge)

Low over CYRL | At Sabourin's dock | Taxiing out over the lake

Kirkness Lake | Pikangikum 09 approach

CKS4 - CKS1 - CYPM >Flightno.1026

At Pikangikum someone informed that arrangements had been made for two locals -white feather people- to join us for the search; 8 eyes would see more than only 4, they thought.
Anyway, we ended delaying our take off while we waited for the two locals to drive up to the airfield...
After some 35 minutes the two gentlemen finally arrived; a tall and skinny guy, John Three Stones and the less-taller-but-way-wider, and wearing a huge smile, John Running Beaver.

Take off time must have been just before 10.00 and after flying a few minutes in our take off direction -rwy09- we made a full turn getting us over CYPM again. Then select Hak's last known heading: 265º out from Pikangikum and settle down to cruising speed.

... and there you had 4 pairs of eyes looking out of the Otter's windows; the plane cruising at 135 mph and 1300 ft agl, following a 265º course.
The weather was still good enough; overcast, greyish but with higher cloud cover, and a clear visibility of ±10 nm, dry and with only a mild wind.

We must have been some 7 to 8 minutes out from the Pik; looking through the windows, nothing to the North and nothing to the South... when Three Stones comes forward and sticks his head through the cabin door "You's wanna check there, I think I can see something... there close to that lake in the distance"
OK, so we change our course, but only 1 or 2 degrees and exercise some patience while we keep closing in to that lake and try to make something out of the spot the tall guy is pointing at.
"T'is white smoke, man" says the round and cheerful one, from the cabin where he's changed from the right side to the first seat on the left.

Yep, and smoke it was. A lot of it, in fact, and pretty visible from a reasonable distance.
Just passed it on our left hand side when I turned the plane to fly back towards and over that spot.
To make a long story short -it all happened quite quickly in fact- we did spot a yellowish floatplane on our first pass (more less headed 90º). Turned around again (to about 270º) for a second and even lower pass, then we spotted two running and waving figures ...
On our fifth turn, while flying the approach to set down on the lake, we got socked in by clouds just before touching down, shoot!
(The same cloud front that we saw on the 4th pass, blowing in from the West)
So I just aborted the approach and went round for a second try. This time the clouds had parted slightly, giving us window to fly through and touchdown on the lake ...
Taxiing towards the northern shore of the lake, to the spot where the two figures were still jumping and waving, we felt a hard bump when we hit a muddy bank ... We were not taxiing that fast, so the damage to floats and struts was minor -if at all-
(you'd better remember about this bank, if you're planning to fly-in to this lake)

Needless to say that cpt. Hak was happy to see us. Yes, it was him there, with the Stork Lake Beaver parked on the muddy shore ...
Oh, and his passenger was 'beyond happy'(*), we had to give him a few shots of brandy before we could get on the plane and ready for our trip back to Pikangikum.

(*)Don't ask me what happened; we still haven't heard Hak's full story ...

Back at Pikangikum by 10.36. Now, that was a quick SAR! (was it luck or just plain easy?)

(click on the snapshots to enlarge)