Passengers aboard an Air Canada flight to Sydney enjoyed an unusual experience as they arrived Down Under — participating in a search-and-rescue mission to find a sailor stranded off the coast of Australia.
Air Canada Flight AC033 was nearing the end of its 16-hour flight from Vancouver when it got a call from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Tuesday morning. Officials needed help locating a sailor who had issued a distress call. They'd launched a search for the yacht and wanted the Boeing 777-200LR to provide air support. An Air New Zealand A320, heading to Sydney from Auckland, also was summoned.
According to Air Canada, the captain determined he had sufficient fuel to make the assist and made a slight detour to join the search about 275 miles off the coast. Then he asked the 270 passengers aboard to help out.
"As we approached the area I made a PA announcement to the passengers, you know, 'Please help us look, if you see anything ...' because it's very difficult to find anything down 5,000 feet," Captain Andrew Robertson said, according to the Telegraph.
The 44-year-old sailor, who'd set off on a solo trip last week, had been adrift in the Tasman Sea for 16 hours after his mast snapped, according to the Sydney Herald Sun. As the Boeing descended to about 4,000 feet, the crew used binoculars borrowed from a passenger to scan the sea for any sign of the sailor. They quickly spotted the fellow, who was using a mirror as a signaling device. Several passengers also reported seeing boat bobbing in the rough sea.
"Almost immediately, as we closed in on the area, the first officer said, 'Well, I see what I think is the boat,' so we proceeded right over it, it was almost exactly where they told us it would be" Robertson said.
After alerting a rescue crew to the sailor's position, Flight AC033 continued on to Sydney and landed just 90 minutes behind schedule. As for the sailor, he's fine. An Australian rescue plane arrived and dropped a life raft and a satphone to him, according to the BBC, and a police boat eventually retrieved him.
The last word from authorities in Syndey was that he was taking a nap after returning to shore.
