Kelly McHugh, a 1,500-hour commercial pilot, was flying his Piper Jetprop P46T at 26,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 4, 2010, when it became clear that he, his three companions, and the plane were going into the water. The aircraft suffered a yet-unexplained engine problem and as it lost power the men quickly realized they would not impact close to shore. It was up to McHugh and the three other men (two of whom were experienced pilots) to save themselves. McHugh estimates that the 90-knot glide lasted at least 30 minutes before the plane hit the water. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke to McHugh for the details.
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