The 17-year-old student pilot who executed a successful emergency landing on September 9 said she experienced some minor panic — but not as much as you might expect — as she attempted to touch down without her aircraft’s front right wheel, according to what she told Boston ABC affiliate WCVB.
"I think I panicked a little, just less than most people would," Maggie Taraska said.
After three years of flying practice, Maggie was only moments into her first solo cross-country flight when her single-engine Piper PA28 plane lost one of its two front wheels, according to ABC News. She was forced to make an emergency landing due to the loss of her landing gear.
According to WCVB, the Beverly International Airport in Massachusetts — where Maggie’s flight originated — temporarily shut down while the young pilot was in the air so she could execute a dangerous landing without any distractions in the sky.
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"I couldn't have done it alone, without a doubt," Maggie said at a press conference on September 10, according to ABC. She was coached through the emergency landing procedure over radio by her flying instructor, John Singleton.
"You could hear the stress in her voice but as she understood what was going on, she calmed down, she worked through it," Singleton told WCVB.
“I realized, 'I'm going to touch down,” Maggie told ABC. “Either way, it's going to be good, it's going to be bad. I'm going to be on the ground.'"
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Both of Maggie’s parents are alumni of the Air Force Academy, which Maggie also hopes to attend, according to ABC.
Maggie told WCVB a mix of preparation and confidence carried her through the situation: "You have to have confidence in your ability if you're going to be a pilot, so I knew that I had practiced emergency procedures plenty of times and I knew that if I tried my best and I kept a cool head, there would be the best outcome possible.”
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