John Thompson was about 40 minutes into his 90-minute flight from Timmins to Moosonee when the engine of his Cessna began to misfire. He was able to eliminate it by adjusting the fuel mixture, but it quickly escalated and soon the engine was sputtering. He tried all the emergency procedures, but it turned into a full-blown engine failure. He radioed a Mayday while attempting an emergency start, and took stock of his situation. Three thousand feet above the ground, the Abitibi river to the west, and forest all around. The next checkpoint was Milogamau Lake, still ten minutes away, but he wasn’t going to make it. He secured everything and directed the plane to an open area, too short for a landing. The plane crashed into the wooded opening and John was knocked unconscious.
He awoke to flames leaping out from the engine cowling and working their way into the cockpit. Smoke was billowing around him, blurring his vision and making him cough. He opened the door and the rush of fresh oxygen fed the flames. Grabbing the fire extinguisher and his backpack, he scrambled out and tried to extinguish the flames, but they were now licking at the fuel tanks in the wings. The extinguisher sputtered its last bit of powder and John backed away, watching the plane burn, then explode, as the fuel caught fire. His only hope was that the Emergency Locator Transmitter was not destroyed.
John had a Turkey Wrap, compliments of Timmys at the Timmons’ airport, a bottled water, and three energy bars. Along with that were his standard backpack fare, matches, lighter, mirror, flight calculator, and nav sheet. His cell phone was in the charger in the cockpit, burnt to a crisp by now. He ducked as the flare gun went off, firing a missile out the window, past his head, and ricocheting off several trees.
Common sense would have him stay by the plane but the trees around it were catching fire. He needed to move away, and quickly. He’d noticed a valley to the west around two kilometers away just before he crashed. Valleys have rivers and rivers usually lead to someplace. He also noticed a lookout tower to the east, around three kilometers away. Lookout towers often have people and radios.
John was deciding which way to go…
Toward the valley Toward the tower