It was interesting, that is for sure-Long post warning
It was in April of 1969. I was studiying Linguistics at the University of Puerto Rico and Judo under a magnificent teacher at the "Y" in San Juan. Takahama was his name.
Anyway, I had returned on Aerovías Quisqueyanas to defend my titles in the National Championships: Constellation to SDQ and a DC-3 to Santiago (All for 26 pesos!, special rate for UCMM professors).
Went to Santo Domingo, won my championships, got my trophys, and was told that the eldest son of our Matron of Honor had just been killed in a shooting incident in Bonao. We HAD to go see her. Sweaty and beat, not properly dressed, we went to the funeral home and comensurated with the woman-the incident left 9 kids orphaned. At 2:00 a.m. we left for Santiago and my 7 a.m. flight back to San Juan and an important test in the graduate school. We had my monstrous trophies and some lamps that a sister in law had sent from Venezuela in the back seat. All went well until I went into our driveway a little too fast and tipped a troophy onto one of the lamps. No longer a pair.
Two hours of sleep and over to the airport for the DC-3 flight back to SDQ. My buddies the pilots were all in good moods, and the flight was un-eventful.
However, upon landing that DC-3 in a cross-wind, things got way out of hand. First one wheel and then the other touched down, the plane zig-zagging as it did so. About the third or fourth zigzag, we went off the runway to the left, into the coral and bushes. The wheel strut came up thru the engine nacelle, the fire extinguishiers went off and we were on a wild Oklahoma hayride over the rocks. I had grabbed the little old lady next to me, who must have asked God for help a thousand times in five seconds..
The plane ended up between the runway and the taxiway over by the CDA hanger. We got out, nobody was hurt until a silly girl started to run in those rocks and cut her ankle. About five hours later I realized I had a huge bruise on my ribs from the initial crash-bang.
A couple of hours later we left for San Juan.
I missed my test and was able to take it later.
The plane was there for years.
And years later, I did a Bio-rhythm Study on the pilots and found that they were both on "down Cycles" that would have required even more attention than normal. I flew with them many other times.
In fact, one time I came back here in the 747 that CDA used to have and he was the pilot!! Sat up front the whole way into SDQ!
HB
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You guys are great !!!!!!!!
