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By Mike Mitchell |
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April 15, 2010 -
An official
statement issued by race organizers explained that Kindlemann had
suffered only minor injuries akin to whiplash and praised the prompt and
efficient rescue efforts by both the jet ski divers and those aboard the
rescue boats. The pilot was pulled from the upturned MXS-R race plane,
which was floating in the
The official
statement read: “While maneuvering his MXS-R race plane, approaching
gate three in the middle of the race track, Kindlemann impacted the
water with his wings level and tail first. Specially trained emergency
response teams rushed to the scene and rescued Kindlemann as the
aircraft floated in the water, in less than one minute. He was then
transported to the
Once Kindlemann
had been assessed at the hospital, the other pilots were able to breathe
a sigh of relief as they heard that the 2010 newcomer was going to be
OK. One team member admitted it was a nerve-wracking time as they
awaited fresh information about the state of the pilot, who has already
made an impact at the |
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"I was in the
holding area when the accident took place but I did not see how it
happened,” said Russian pilot Sergey Rakhmanin, who was due to fly after
Kindlemann in the first training session this morning. “I am happy to
hear that Adilson is safe and received only minor injuries.” |
Equally
Japanese pilot Yoshi Muroya expressed his relief that Kindlemann was in
good health after the incident, which occurred at 11.50am local time in
British pilot
Nigel Lamb, who was sitting in third position after today’s disrupted
first training session also offered a useful insight into the lifesaving
efforts by the rescue teams. Lamb also noted Kindlemann’s quick thinking
in the lead up to the moment when the MXS-R hit the water.
“I’ve seen very little footage but the most important thing is
that if you have any kind of unwanted impact with the surface, you want
to land at the slowest speed possible with your wings level,” explained
Lamb. “From what I saw in the videos, he was not at slow speed but he
did manage to get the wings level. I am amazed at how quick the divers
were there and how unscathed he is. You’d think at that speed you’d be
very poorly placed… but it all turned out very positively.”
Today saw what has
always been a theoretical situation turn to reality. Seeing the rescue
teams in action in the first ever ‘real life’ emergency operation has
helped to confirm just how effective the safety measures the
organization has put into place are. “It’s one thing for your engine to
fail and you have do a controlled landing on water but now I’ve seen
someone do that at twice the speed you imagine and he came out alright,”
admits Lamb. “That’s very confidence inspiring. Today has really given
me even more confidence about operations over water.”
Friday’s training
sessions will continue as planned. Training 3 takes place at 10:00
followed by Training 4 at 14:00. |
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