Mayday Over the Mountains

By Hank Scheltema and Al Yoder Jr., as told to Kristen Stagg

Allen Yoder, Jr., missionary pilot in Amazonas, Brazil, and Matthew Cropsey, an MK from Togo, started out March 12 on the first leg of what was to have been a routine flight from Brazil to St. Vincent, an island off the coast of Carolina. Al was taking a single-engine Cessna, equipped with pontoons, back to the US for needed repairs.

Weather reports indicated that this portion of the journey would provide the best flying conditions of the trip: all clear. At about 9:30 am with the plane leveled out around 9500 feet over Venezuela, Al and Matt sat back to carry out the normal duties of a flight, maintaining hourly radio contact with Al's father-in-law, Hank Scheltema. Hank is the Director of Aviation Ministries for ABWE, stationed in Florida after having spent many years as a missionary pilot in Brazil.

Only 15 minutes after scheduled radio contact with Hank, a loud explosion sounded from the right side of the aircraft's engine. A strong vibration immediately set in and the airplane began losing altitude. Al headed east, putting out a MAYDAY signal on the radio.

A friend of Al's had just tuned in by radio "just to monitor" the plane's progress home, and received the distress signal. He alerted Hank, who immediately resumed radio contact with Al. The Cessna's ham radio, almost inoperable two days earlier, remained loud and clear throughout the crucial half-hour to follow.

"Thank God that Hank continually urged me to give him our position," Al said. "I was so busy trying to keep the plane from crashing that I didn't want to talk on the radio. But if I hadn't, no one would ever have found us."

Oil and raw gas were pouring out near two still-firing spark plugs and onto a hot exhaust pipe, but never caught fire. Al said, "Flames would have been fatal for sure."

Al wanted to get the plane as far as Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, but the aircraft would not maintain altitude to cover the last 100 miles. He was forced to land on the Cuyuni River in dense jungle. Pounding rain and loss of power in the aircraft meant that the steep approach with a dangerous tailwind was Al's only chance to stick the landing.

"God was gracious," he acknowledged. "The river was so short there was almost no time to stop, so we hit a tree. Thankfully, the tree was rotten. Although the tree was completely destroyed, it stopped the plane dead without even scratching the paint."

The men had landed at a gold miners' dredge site. Al and Matt, knowing the notorious reputation of miners in Brazil, were thankful for the unusually helpful attitude of the men who used their canoes to tow the Cessna to a small sandbar in the river. Matt used portions of the airplane and plastic sheets to construct a temporary shelter.

Meanwhile Hank was occupied trying to contact Guyanese officials by phone from Florida. He learned that almost the entire country was shut down for the funeral of president Cheddi Jagan. The Hindu president's cremation would take about hours, after which the only helicopter in the country would scatter the president's ashes over the countryside.

Hank sent an urgent fax to the office of the president in Guyana, stating that two Americans had been forced to make an emergency landing on the Cuyuni River. "Please send help at once as they are in danger," he wrote.

By 11:00 a.m. the next day, Hank was enroute to Guyana with engine parts. He and Dr. Robert Cropsey, Matt's dad, met in Miami to catch a flight to Georgetown. The flight was completely full, but two passengers graciously forfeited their seats to the men.

Hank's contact with Guyana had already produced results. Commander Michael Charles, Guyana's leading pilot, flew a helicopter to where Al and Matt were waiting for rescue. He expressed amazement that the two had survived. According to authorities, seven airplanes have disappeared in that jungle without a trace.

Commander Charles stayed with the Americans and helped them through the eight hours of interrogation that followed. At the end of the grueling questioning period, Guyana's minister of defense officially welcomed the Americans and commended them on their extraordinary flying.

When Hank and Bob finally arrived, the four men discussed possible solutions to their dilemma before dropping off to sleep.

The next morning Al contacted Commander Charles to arrange a helicopter shuttle downriver for the following day, but was told that his shuttle would leave in 60 minutes! Al and Matt scrambled to scrounge up the last few needed airplane parts.

Because of the steady downpour, the sandbar on which the Cessna rested was steadily disappearing under water. The men worked from 4-10 p.m., and again from 2-8 a.m. rebuilding the engine by flashlight with Hank standing in knee-deep water, and Al straddling the engine.

In order to take off, the men had to jettison half of the fuel, food and emergency gear from the Cessna. Al said, "I had to go up on one float and maneuver around a bend in the river to gather enough speed to clear the trees bordering the river."

After flying back to Georgetown , Al and Matt resumed their journey to the USA. "We went in under great suspicion, and came out heroes," Al said. "We can see specific instances where we were able to witness and there were so many miracles that we know it was all part of God's plan."

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