A solo yachtsman who ran into trouble in high seas off the north coast of Australia has an Air Canada flight to thank for diverting to low altitude to confirm his location, Tuesday, after he set off his emergency beacon. The sailor set out more than a week ago, and an Air Canada spokesman commented Tuesday on the role of the airliner which found the 36-foot yacht within half an hour of the beacon activation. Flight AC033, a Boeing 777 out of Vancouver for Sydney, was one of two airliners that rescue authorities estimated would pass over thesailor's transmitted GPS position. Air Canada said Tuesday that its crew quickly determined they had sufficient fuel reserves to participate "and headed out to the remote area which was over fairly rough seas." The 777 then descended to roughly 4,000 feet and, with the help of passengers, the crew started looking.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/air-canada-diverts-to-identify-yacht