Kabloom, Kaplunk, Kersplash … And On To Ketchum

A Cessna Citation 525 bizjet ditched last Tuesday morning, just a few hundred feet from shore near the town of Coupeville, Wash. “This was just a huge roar …then I heard a big kabloom and big kaplunk!” local resident Sue Koleada told KOMO TV. The pilot, James Ray, 80, and his companion, Helcia Graf, 73, and their yellow Labrador retriever swam away from the jet and were picked up by nearby boaters. Other than minor cuts and bruises, all were fine. Less than two hours after the crash, the three headed home to Ketchum, Idaho, in a rental car. The 525 was climbing out of Victoria, B.C., at FL330 when Ray “stated a problem” with the jet and requested the closest field, according to the FAA’s preliminary report. A salvage crew will recover the jet.