Pilot Survives Crash, Tells ‘Crappy Dad Jokes’ While Waiting for Rescue

A pilot kept his cool when the small plane he was piloting crashed into the water — and he managed to bring a bit of humor into the situation too.

Michael MacDonald, 47, had been making daily trips with his marine biologist passenger for over a month so she could observe local marine life in Mexico’s Gulf of California, the CBC reported. However, on April 18, a few hours into their 34th flight over the area, the engine on MacDonald’s plane “just went silent.”

At the time, his plane was about seven miles from shore and quickly began to fall at a rate of 490 feet per minute. MacDonald told the outlet he had about three minutes to take action — and when he couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong, he knew they were bound for the water below.

Thankfully, MacDonald has been flying since 2012 and was well-versed in emergency protocol. He and his passenger secured their harnesses and he handed her a pillow to protect her face from any debris from the crash landing.

The moment of impact “felt like a sea monster reached up and grabbed us and pulled us into the water,” he told Irish outlet RTE.

When they landed, the Cessna 182 flipped and its windshield broke, scratching up the pilot’s leg, the outlet reported — and while MacDonald was able to unbuckle his harness and open his door to the aircraft, he noticed his passenger wasn’t having such an easy time.

After he reminded her to unbuckle from her seat, she was able to swim from the plane, then he helped her inflate her vest. When he moved to inflate his own, he found that pulling the cord did nothing, so he had to blow into a small tube and manually inflate it.

He told CBC, “I’ve been playing bagpipes for years, so it all came into practice.”

Miraculously, MacDonald’s phone still worked after the crash and a call came in from his administrative office letting him know they’d been alerted of a possible emergency. Although he lost service shortly after, the call lasted long enough for him to provide his location and get confirmation that rescuers were on the way.

While he and his passenger waited two hours for rescue, MacDonald told CTV News that he did everything he could to keep the marine biologist comfortable.

He told the outlet that he tried to make eye contact and keep up conversation, even cracking a few “crappy dad jokes” to pass the time.

Eventually, the Mexican military rescued them by speedboat and brought them to dry land, where doctors examined the cuts and bruises they sustained in the crash.

MacDonald told CTV that he lost his passport in the crash, but he gained something much better: a forever bond.

The two have talk every day since the crash, he told CBC, adding, “she’s my little sister now.”