His Plane Crashed in the Amazon. Then Came the Hard Part. (nytimes.com) 77
An anonymous reader shares a report: The pilot was 3,000 feet over the Amazon, flying a small propeller plane on his maiden assignment for wildcat miners deep in the forest, when the lone engine cut out. He took a deep breath and scanned the vast emerald green canopy below. He had about five minutes, he calculated, to bring down the plane and its highly flammable cargo: 160 gallons of diesel fuel. He reported his imminent crash over a portable radio to whoever might be listening, noting that he was about halfway to his destination, a mine known as California. Then, as his plane barreled down, Antonio Sena aimed for a small valley lined with palm trees. "There!" he recalls thinking. "Palm trees mean there is water, perhaps a river." Since becoming a pilot nine years earlier, Mr. Sena had heard countless stories about fatal crashes. But while his plane scraped a few trees and then smashed into the ground, Mr. Sena realized something exhilarating as he rolled to a halt: He had survived. He grabbed a pocketknife, a flashlight, a couple of lighters and a phone with little juice in the battery and scrambled away from the aircraft. Moments later, it burst into flames. Then he settled down to wait for his rescue. It was a long wait.
At first, Mr. Sena recounted in a phone interview last week, he camped out next to the remains of the 48-year-old Cessna 210L, figuring it was his best chance of being spotted. And search pilots did, in fact, circle the area for several days -- and then kept going. "They flew right over, but couldn't see me," Mr. Sena said. He waved and screamed each time he heard the thud of propellers, but to no avail. Giving up his hopes of being rescued near the wreckage, Mr. Sena embarked on what turned out to be a 17-mile trek through the rainforest, home to jaguars, venomous insects and anacondas. Thirty-six days later, on March 6, he emerged to tell a story that has transfixed Brazilians -- a rare piece of uplifting news for a nation badly in need of it after a year of being battered by the Covid-19 crisis. His account, though, also put a spotlight on Brazil's illegal mining industry, which has flourished in recent decades in Indigenous territories and other parts of the Amazon that are supposed to be sanctuaries. The illegal mine where he was headed is in the Maicuru reserve, where no human activities are allowed beyond those meant to protect the forest.
At first, Mr. Sena recounted in a phone interview last week, he camped out next to the remains of the 48-year-old Cessna 210L, figuring it was his best chance of being spotted. And search pilots did, in fact, circle the area for several days -- and then kept going. "They flew right over, but couldn't see me," Mr. Sena said. He waved and screamed each time he heard the thud of propellers, but to no avail. Giving up his hopes of being rescued near the wreckage, Mr. Sena embarked on what turned out to be a 17-mile trek through the rainforest, home to jaguars, venomous insects and anacondas. Thirty-six days later, on March 6, he emerged to tell a story that has transfixed Brazilians -- a rare piece of uplifting news for a nation badly in need of it after a year of being battered by the Covid-19 crisis. His account, though, also put a spotlight on Brazil's illegal mining industry, which has flourished in recent decades in Indigenous territories and other parts of the Amazon that are supposed to be sanctuaries. The illegal mine where he was headed is in the Maicuru reserve, where no human activities are allowed beyond those meant to protect the forest.
huh (Score:3, Insightful)
highly flammable cargo: 160 gallons of diesel fuel
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"highly flammable"... I never said diesel isn't flammable, but I wouldn't call it highly flammable.
Also:
a pocketknife, a flashlight, a couple of lighters
"They flew right over, but couldn't see me," Mr. Sena said. He waved and screamed each time he heard the thud of propellers,
Burn some of that "highly flammable cargo" along with some rubber from the wheels?
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Burn some of that "highly flammable cargo" along with some rubber from the wheels?
TFA says it went into fire after the crash.
Re:huh (Score:4, Insightful)
Diesel isn't "highly flammable". It's actually quite difficult to get to burn.
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It's easier to get it to burn if it's really warm out, like, y'know, in parts of the Amazonian jungle. And also if you have something more highly flammable, like say the petrol a 210's engine runs on, to get it going. My question is, if the engine had quit, what ignited the petrol? Did the pilot, in an effort to get rid of some sort of evidence?
Re: huh (Score:5, Informative)
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Parts of the Amazon get plenty hot to make diesel more more easily ignited than in, say, an Alaskan winter. If the fuel lines to the engine rupture and start a petrol fire, that's plenty of heat to get the drums of diesel above their flash point (note that a 210 doesn't run on diesel, the plane was carrying diesel to supply the mining operation; the plane runs on avgas, typically 100LL, and a standard 210 can hold 90 gallons of it).
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Exactly. The 100LL used to power the engine, however, is. It is stored in the wings which were likely heavily damaged and can heat the diesel to its ignition point.
I've used diesel fuel in pans to teach the proper use of fire extinguishers (PASSPull the pin. Aim at he Fire. Squeeze the handle and Sweep the spray over the fire. ). I used gasoline to light the diesel because it diesel just douses a match.
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Diesel isn't "highly flammable". It's actually quite difficult to get to burn.
He must have meant inflammable.
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Inflammable == flammable. (Or is that the joke and I missed it...)
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I see minimal white smoke coming off that fire, good luck seeing that above the trees.
Technically it's combustible, not flammable (Score:5, Informative)
Generally flammable means a flashpoint of 100F or lower.
(The temperature at which is will generate enough vapor to keep burning).
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswer... [ccohs.ca]
Diesel fuel has a flashpoint of 125-180, making it combustible rather than flammable.
https://www.kendrickoil.com/wh... [kendrickoil.com]
Of course words aren't always used in their most specific technical sense.
Re: huh (Score:1)
Milkshake Duck (Score:2)
Strikes again....
Garbage headline (Score:1)
Did you really just start a fucking /. headline with the clickbait indefinite pronoun "He", msmash? It's 2021, you can stop doing that already.
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And even a "then" right after.
What's next? Shock? Touched? What a dumpster fire.
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Did you really just start a fucking /. headline with the clickbait indefinite pronoun "He", msmash? It's 2021, you can stop doing that already.
I once made a purchase at Fry’s, then walked out the door without stopping in lengthy, slow the bag check line, which some people realize cannot legally be compelled, and is optional even according the store itself.
Fry’s had no problem with it. The only anger I heard came from those standing in line.
“Sir, you have to stand in line to leave!”
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I did that for years. I got some strange looks from the sheeple who were allowing their bags to be searched, but no one said anything. I used to wonder if the sheeple ever reconsidered standing
Moral of the story. (Score:2)
True moral of story is, always carry a phone battery charger with you on trips!
P.S. Jaguars are not that dangerous to adult humans. Or frankly anacondas, which just use constriction.
Moral of the story. (Score:2)
Thought the moral was good things (survival) come from bad causes (illegal mining).
All good (Score:1)
The "illegal" mine is probably run by the indigenous peoples that live in that protected territory, so basically the story is good news all around!
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The "illegal" mine is probably run by the indigenous peoples
Shh. You are going to spoil it for the woke. Like all the PBS documentaries that show supposed 'first contact' with tribes that have never met westerners. And yet they have machetes, aluminum pots and LA Lakers tee shirts.
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Well, if you take something out of the ground by mining, you will need to sell it. And you'll need quite some resources to do this mining quite fast.
Indigenous people usually do not have the resources and don't have to contacts to sell whatever they mine in (inter)national markets.
So I think it is highly unlikely that indigenous people run the mine. They are likely to work in it (for next to nothing), but not run it. After all, the seller of the mined resources doesn't need those costs, just the cheap labor
Whoa dud, slow the racist roll there. (Score:1)
Indigenous people usually do not have the resources and don't have to contacts to sell whatever they mine in (inter)national markets.
Wow man, racist much?
They have cell phones now and other modern things you bigoted jerk.
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Not in that area, you uninformed jerk. In areas closer to an actual city where there might possibly be cellular service they might, but people living in that region never go that far.
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The "illegal" mine is probably run by the indigenous peoples
No, the indigenous people don't have the tens of thousands to millions of dollars necessary to set up a mine that would need that much diesel fuel. They may have given someone permission to operate in their territory in exchange for some shiny, but they don't actually have that right by the laws of the country.
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Huh? 160 gallons is like 3 drums. Not a lot of diesel. Might last a small shoe-string operation for weeks. Anything using millions of dollars of equipment - that might last less than a day.
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A "shoestring operation" is still tens of thousands of dollars, not really available to people living in a non-monetary society. My brother-in-law had a basic gold dredge operation in Puerto Maldonado in the '80s, the basic equipment and camp was around $20,000 and experience was required to operate and maintain it. The locals aren't going to be running these operations.
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No, it's infection you need to fear in a jungle. An infected scratch or a stomach bug is way more likely to to kill you.
A cell phone isn't going to be that useful there because there won't be coverage, but a locator beacon broadcasting on 406 MHz is pretty cheap. So are personal satellite trackers and communicators, although the subscription fees aren't cheap they're worth it.
If I were flying that route I'd have have a locator beacon/text communicator plus a compact survival kit, including antibiotics and
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A cell phone isn't going to be that useful there because there won't be coverage
True but the phone itself is a weak locator beacon, and you can also store a lot of offline maps and survival manuals on it. It's also a compass, and a flashlight good enough for signaling rescue parties at night.
Worst case if the phone is totally smashed, an external phone charger can be used to start a fire.
a locator beacon broadcasting on 406 MHz is pretty cheap
Yeah I have to agree there or even a satellite emergency communi
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Leaving out the obvious...flares as well as orange smoke.
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flares as well as orange smoke.
His whole plane was one giant flare/smoke machine, didn't seem to help him much.
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Maybe they thought someone was clear-cutting via slash-and-burn. Something that happens in that part of the world.
Fifty Shades of Smoke (Score:1)
Maybe they thought someone was clear-cutting via slash-and-burn.
Smoke from e burning plane/desil would look way different (very black) than foliage burning (mostly white), also it would be from a point source and not over a lager area.
Re:Moral of the story. (Score:5, Funny)
"P.S. Jaguars are not that dangerous to adult humans."
I'd guess that most people killed by jaguars are driving them too fast.
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I'd guess that most people killed by jaguars are driving them too fast.
Great point, and the jungle roads SUCK for traction.
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The biggest problem to be faced? (Score:5, Informative)
The NYT paywall that doesn't let you read the linked articles.
Re:The biggest problem to be faced? (Score:5, Informative)
The NYT paywall that doesn't let you read the linked articles.
Just open it in an incognito/private window. You're welcome.
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This is news for nerds? Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Eco-criminal flies supplies to illegal mine.
Eco-criminal crashes his plane.
Eco-criminal doesn't die.
The End.
PS. I see, he had a cell-phone or was it the pocketknife that made it news for nerds?
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An ATV? We need a blimp at the minimum.
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At least he got the tiger repelling rock right.
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News for the largest possible audience. Stuff that polarizes, and thus increasing number of comments, views and clicks.
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PS. I see, he had a cell-phone or was it the pocketknife that made it news for nerds?
While not mentioned in the summary, his copious use of duct tape during the ordeal makes this truly a Slashdot story.
a 17-mile trek took 36 days? (Score:3)
>> Mr. Sena embarked on what turned out to be a 17-mile trek through the rainforest, home to jaguars, venomous insects and anacondas. Thirty-six days later, on March 6, he emerged to tell a story
That's less than half a mile per day, even in the jungle it seems slow.
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That's the direction he took, going for that river. But he managed to find people collecting nuts in what is implied 17 miles away. It took 36 days in which time apparently lost 55 pounds. I understand this to be a reference to weight, not pounds sterling.
I will not claim to be any better at survival skills but he does seem to have struggled more than I'd expect - he even mentions he would not have made it if he had not seen what the monkeys ate (some kind of fruit). I would guess that the average person wo
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It took 36 days in which time apparently lost 55 pounds. I understand this to be a reference to weight, not pounds sterling.
Oh, I thought it meant he was a habitual (and bad) gambler.
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>> Mr. Sena embarked on what turned out to be a 17-mile trek through the rainforest, home to jaguars, venomous insects and anacondas. Thirty-six days later, on March 6, he emerged to tell a story
That's less than half a mile per day, even in the jungle it seems slow.
This can happen when you select "No Rush" shipping ...
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First he had to bash some rainforest trees with his fists to make wood. Then he had to build a crafting table. Then he had to build simple tools. Then he had to mine some stone. Then he had to make stronger tools. Then he had to mine some iron. Then he had to make proper equipment. Finally he was ready for the trek back to safety.
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I assume he sat around waiting to be rescued for most of that.
Good to know. (Score:2)
I'll try to keep all this in mind next time I crash in the Amazon.
if i was stuck in the Amazon forest (Score:2)
Just use the app (Score:5, Funny)
What, no Heliograph? (Score:2)
It is silvered on the main face and around the cross on the back. You point the mirror at the rescue plane and keep your eye centred in your reflection on the back, so the reflected sun is directed at the plane.
There's a good WWII training film on Youtube covering downed airmen that shows its use, can't think of it right now.
Modern plastic versions of these things are
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This trick goes back not just to WW2, it was used by the Greek Empire and even earlier. And is still in use now, if you ask the right place.
Those small glass (or metal) double-sided mirrors have a small hole in the center that you look through. Some have been made without that by ignorant companies, don't buy those. Good ones are cheap and small enough that he should have had one.
Just holding a mirror up and moving it is almost impossible to make work.
The way to use it is to look at your target through the
I thought the second engine was a backup (Score:2)
Seriously, aren't twin engine planes supposed to be able to fly with one engine off.
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Oh drat, misread the article. OK was a single-engine plane. Red-face emoji.
RiverMonsters guy crashed in Amazon, too (Score:2)
if I'm not mistaken.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
His shows rock by the way, I need to rewatch them.