Air Canada Retires Gimli Glider

Air Canada has retired one of the most famous Boeing 767s in pilot
lore. Fleet no. 604 was flown to a storage area in the Mojave Desert,
Thursday, 25 years after surviving, along with its crew of eight and 61
passengers, one of the most amazing dead-stick landings ever attempted.
After the computerized fuel gauges on the then state-of-the-art
aircraft failed because of a faulty solder joint, the ground crew
decided to dip the tanks to ensure there was enough fuel for the
2,000-mile trip from Montreal to Edmonton. What they didn't know is
that the dip gauges were calibrated in centimeters rather than inches
and since a centimeter is less than half an inch, nowhere enough fuel
was put on board. Sure enough, about half way through the trip, near
the border of Ontario and Manitoba, both engines quit. Fortunately,
Capt. Robert Pearson was a trained glider pilot and what happened next
earned a footnote in airline history.

Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal calculated the glide
potential of the airliner and determined they wouldn't make it to
Winnipeg, the nearest airport of any size. Quintal, a former military
pilot had served at an abandoned air force base in the small town of
Gimli, Manitoba and the numbers, along with a long runway, looked good
to both men. Pearson was high and hot on final but side slipped the 767
to a rough but safe landing that collapsed the nose gear but did little
damage. The landing intruded on a day at the races for some go cart
enthusiasts who were using the abandoned concrete but no one was hurt.
The plane was flown away after two days of repairs and remained in
uneventful service until Pearson, Quintal and several of the flight
attendants on board that day accompanied it on its final flight to
California.

However, there are 4 parties that are interested in acquiring this
aircraft.

On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:32:23 -0500, "Scott M. Kozel"
<kozelsm.RemoveThis@comcast.net> wrote:

:>Air Canada has retired one of the most famous Boeing 767s in pilot
:>lore. Fleet no. 604 was flown to a storage area in the Mojave Desert,
:>Thursday, 25 years after surviving, along with its crew of eight and 61
:>passengers, one of the most amazing dead-stick landings ever attempted.
:>After the computerized fuel gauges on the then state-of-the-art
:>aircraft failed because of a faulty solder joint, the ground crew
:>decided to dip the tanks to ensure there was enough fuel for the
:>2,000-mile trip from Montreal to Edmonton. What they didn't know is
:>that the dip gauges were calibrated in centimeters rather than inches
:>and since a centimeter is less than half an inch, nowhere enough fuel
:>was put on board. Sure enough, about half way through the trip, near
:>the border of Ontario and Manitoba, both engines quit. Fortunately,
:>Capt. Robert Pearson was a trained glider pilot and what happened next
:>earned a footnote in airline history.
:>
:>Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal calculated the glide
:>potential of the airliner and determined they wouldn't make it to
:>Winnipeg, the nearest airport of any size. Quintal, a former military
:>pilot had served at an abandoned air force base in the small town of
:>Gimli, Manitoba and the numbers, along with a long runway, looked good
:>to both men. Pearson was high and hot on final but side slipped the 767
:>to a rough but safe landing that collapsed the nose gear but did little
:>damage. The landing intruded on a day at the races for some go cart
:>enthusiasts who were using the abandoned concrete but no one was hurt.
:>The plane was flown away after two days of repairs and remained in
:>uneventful service until Pearson, Quintal and several of the flight
:>attendants on board that day accompanied it on its final flight to
:>California.
:>
:>However, there are 4 parties that are interested in acquiring this
:>aircraft.

If I remember correctly people cite the Gimli Glider and the Sioux
City crash of United Airlines Flt. 232 as examples for upping the
mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. In both cases it was
older veteran pilots who brought these planes in to land.

Yes, I know UA 232 crashed as it killed a friend of mine, Sue Marsh
and her mother, but approx. half the passengers did survive the crash.