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Book recounts plane crash
yranaivo@journalnet.com
Acquaintances always told John Tippets that his father, Joseph, could just walk away from an airplane crash without sustaining injuries. "One older lady once saw me and said 'We remember your dad. He walked away from crashes,'" Tippets, 67, said. In fact, Joseph had survived at least four plane crashes during his life, John recalled.
One crash in particular served as the inspiration for John's "Hearts of Courage," a 2008 book the Alaska native wrote in memory of his parents. "Hearts of Courage" retells a 1943 plane accident that left Joseph and three surviving passengers stranded in the Alaskan wilderness for a month.
John spent most of his adult life doing research for the book. He used a number of family photographs, letters, personal memories and newspaper clippings, among other items, as sources. On a few occasions, he also flew over the crash site, which was about 30 miles southeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The plane crashed into a mountain slope that is now part of the Misty Fjords National Monument.
John said the crash, which involved a variant of the Lockheed Electra model, occurred on Jan. 5, 1943, and killed two of the six passengers that day. Joseph was on his way home to Anchorage when the Lockheed crashed after one of its two engines broke down, killing one of the passengers in the process. The lead pilot died after he set out to find help.
Joseph was one of the four passengers who survived. Joseph then took part in a monthlong survival adventure that included a number of unsuccessful attempts at alerting search-and-rescue teams of the crash, and fighting the bitter Alaskan winter.
Joseph spent three weeks at the crash site. He and three other passengers fed themselves with food found randomly around the plane's wreckage. John said some of the food included candy bars, sardines, raisins, coffee and rice.
Eventually, Joseph walked down the mountain slope in hopes of finding help. John said his dad witnessed a few planes fly over the mountain, but did not draw any attention despite building a visible fire. While Joseph and one passenger ventured down the mountain, the two other survivors, who sustained more serious injuries, remained at the crash site.
John said the two passengers who stayed at the crash site spent about 10 days burrowed into the snow and feeding themselves on it. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard eventually spotted John and his fellow survivor on Feb. 3.
"(The men from the Coast Guard) thought they were hunters and trappers," John said. Six Coast Guard members boarded a rowboat and rowed over to the shoreline. After the rescue, John said his dad urged rescuers to return to the crash site. John said his dad was confident that the two survivors who did not leave the site were still alive. The two men were found alive. And ironically on Jan. 26, a church in Salt Lake City sent a letter to Joseph's wife, Alta. The letter informed John's mother that her husband died in the accident. However, John said his mother firmly believed her husband was still alive. John said he also wrote about how his mother coped with the accident. "This book is also about belief and faith," John said. "In some ways, this story is like bringing (Joseph) back to life. ... But it was mostly a chance to write my parents' histories." By Yann Ranaivo
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cate wrote on Jan 7, 2009 10:17 AM:
This book emphasizes heroism, faith, and preparedness of a man who was determined to come out alive and return to his family. You will enjoy this book! "