Friends hail injured Denali pilot
Published Saturday, October 17, 2009
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HEALY — Friends dubbed him “Super Dan.”
Pilot Daniel McGregor, 35, lived up to that nickname Friday when he crawled out of the fiery wreckage of his crashed airplane and walked 20 miles through the wilderness of Denali National Park to reach help.
The crash, on a mountainside near the Toklat River, about seven miles from the park road, claimed the life of wolf biologist Gordon Haber. Initial reports stated McGregor also died in the crash.
But he surprised everyone by suddenly appearing in the company of two campers from New Hampshire whom he stumbled upon at Igloo Campground on his long walk from the crash site. They walked with him to their vehicle at Teklanika Campground and drove him to safety.
McGregor is at the Harborbview Medical Center in Seattle, being treated for burns to his face and hands.
“The fact that he pulled this off, being able to walk that far, with injuries he had is absolutely astonishing,” said his boss, RD Rosso, owner of Denali Air. “We’ve nicknamed him Super Dan before, because he does so much and does it so well.”
Although McGregor wasn’t working for Denali Air for this flight, he is a pilot for that company during the summer.
He didn’t start out as a pilot. He first worked at the Black Bear Coffee Shop in the Nenana River canyon, then developed an interest in flying.
Denali Air hired him to fuel aircraft.
“He just kept working his way up,” Rosso said. “He bought his own airplane and has been working with Gordon doing wolf surveys.”
He also became certified as an airplane mechanic and has been a pilot for about eight years, Rosso said.
Friends rejoiced at the surprising news of his survival.
Greg LaHaie, owner of Kantishna Air, said he had a hard time accepting news of McGregor’s presumed death on Thursday night.
“I just couldn’t imagine he was dead,” LaHaie said. “I didn’t feel it in my soul. He’s just one of those guys. He’s so great and such a nice guy. You just hope he’s going to be one of your best friends for a very long time.”
LaHaie, who employed McGregor for a summer, described him as a knowledgeable and talented pilot.
“I’ve known him forever,” he said. “He was this young whipper-snapper who loved flying more than anything.”
But he differed from most want-to-be-pilots in that he had real common sense and a kind of wisdom about flying — “Not like a lot of kids who dive into every situation,” LaHaie said.
McGregor spent a lot of time talking with experienced pilots and local park pilots.
“He took time to find out from all the elders what to do to stay alive,” LaHaie said.
LaHaie was flying his small plane about the same time as McGregor on the day of the crash.
“I just got back to the park strip. It was really windy, really foggy. I snuck in between layers of fog,” he said. “I heard he was missing later that night and I thought he’s just gonna come flying back in.”
He is anxious to learn details of exactly what happened.
“That is one of the windier corners,” he said, drawing on his many years of experience. “You always get some big thumps going on there.”
This kind of incident does generate some soul searching among pilots, LaHaie said.
“It’s a wonderful game that we play, the highs of what we do are so incredible, but we have to push back the horror of what can happen to the back of our minds — otherwise, we’d never take off.”
Community Discussion
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Kris Capps, thanks for this kind article about our dear friend. Please note that R.D.'s last name is Rosso, not Ross.
I'm elated that Dan was able to use his knowledge of the area, bravery, and strength to make it to safety. I've been fortunate to have flown with him many times, and I can attest to his skill as a pilot.
You're a great guy, "Danagement!" Heal well, buddy.
Thanks for the tip, templequarry.
Not to brag, but I have been flying in Alaska for the last 20 years and yes, it is fun, most of the time. Flying for a living is one of the top three most dangerous jobs in Alaska and the USA. Many jobs that one would think of as dangerous don't even make the top ten, cops and firemen come to mind.
As a passenger you can have an impact on the safe outcome of a flight. If you don't feel comfortable about something speak up. And never give the pilot a hard time about how you need to get somewhere and you don't care about how bad the weather is. Pilots want to do two things, make their passengers happy and make it home alive. As a passenger you can talk the pilot into doing something stupid.
good points by rt, but, "As a passenger you can talk the pilot into doing something stupid." — while this is unfortunately true with some pilots, it shouldn't be true with any pilot nonetheless, rt is exactly right. and, if you, as a passenger, can influence any pilots go/no go decision, you should NEVER fly with that pilot again.
God has blessed you in many ways, Dan. Here's to hoping
you have a speedy recovery. Hang in there! I also hope
there is a reason for your survival--God is not done with
you yet!
Blessings!
Dan, the comment should have read "I also hope YOU
realize there is a reason for your survival." And
yes, it should be evident that you realize God
is NOT done with you yet!
:-)
I'm just curious, does anyone know how long Dan has been flying commercial? What a happy ending for him and his. I am more than sorry that this story doesn't have a happy ending for Mr. Haber and his family.
Blessings to all
Goldstream, Pilots are people too. One of the hardest things I have ever done was to cancel a flight full of crying tourist who wanted to go and see the Arctic Ocean. I single handedly ruined their vacations.
Like I said, as a passenger you can, but you shouldn't, try to talk the pilot into doing something stupid
As a pilot with over 18,000 hours combined fixed wing and roatry wing time I will say this from reading the postings here one especially.
That if you can talk a pilot into doing something stupid he is NO PILOT he is just a wannabe and a show off.
Real Pilots fly safe and do the right thing.
OK, maybe I should have said, as a passenger you should not try to talk the pilot into doing something stupid.
Another warning sign to look for if you are a passenger is overconfidence. High time pilots get in accidents too. Don't believe me? look it up.
I guess being a pilot has its ups and downs.
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