Black pilot and passenger survive Georgia plane crash into high-voltage electrical wires

Jet, Jan 21, 2002

Two men are now relishing every day of the new year after being rescued from a small plane when it crashed into live electric power lines and dangled nearly 100 feet above the ground for hours.

Pilot Brian Hooker of Atlanta and his passenger Darrell Robinson of Marietta, GA, were headed for Peachtree City, GA, from Cleveland when their single-engine Warrior ran out of gas 3 miles short of the airport. It glided at 70 mph before it hit and became snarled in high-voltage power lines 75 feet above ground. Witnesses said they saw showers of sparks when the plane struck the lines and became lodged between two rows of wires.

Hooker, 31, and Robinson, 20, of Marietta, GA, were suspended upside down in the plane for hours while rescue workers first cut the power off, blacking out surrounding neighborhoods, then stabilized the 1,800-pound plane.

"[We] were flying to Atlanta from a Cleveland family reunion when I noticed we were running low on gas," according to Hooker. "We were surprised to find we were so low on gas." When he realized he didn't have the fuel to reach Peachtree City, approximately 50 miles south of the crash site, he tried to land at Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field. "I tried to set it down in a clearing, but it was dark, and we got caught in the power lines," he stated.

It took six hours for 45 firefighters from four stations working in freezing temperatures to remove Hooker and Robinson through a side door then lower them from their precarious position to the ground in a hydraulic bucket.

Hooker, 31, and Robinson, 20, told ABC's "Good Morning America" their faith kept them from fearing the worst.

"We were looking at problem after problem," explained Hooker. "We were expecting the plane to drop, or a spark to ignite engine fuel and blow us up. It never did." Hooker and Robinson said their "faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" kept them from becoming anxious through the whole trial. "Jesus kept us calm ... We felt his presence with us and we knew we were going to be alright ... and after a few minutes of praying, we both fell asleep [while the rescuers worked to help us out the plane]".

Robinson pointed out that even though they were snared upside-down in cold darkness nearly 100 feet above ground on electrical cables, God was in control and meant good for their lives. "The most deadly thing, the wires, are what God used to save us," he testified.

Following the rescue, the men were cold but apparently unhurt. Authorities said the plane was probably damaged beyond repair.