MONROE - The pilot who flipped his plane while trying to land at Monroe Municipal Airport on Wednesday is a hero in commercial piloting circles.
Steve Garbe, 59, of Rockford is a commercial pilot for American Airlines. He's based out of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. On Sept. 27, 2007, Garbe captained an MD-80 twin-engine jet that took off from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The left engine on the plane's tail caught fire shortly after takeoff, forcing Garbe to turn around the O'Hare-bound plane.
He safely landed the plane with no one getting injured. Garbe then worked with the rest of the crew, safely deplaned all 137 passengers.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, noted the incident in its hotline a few days later.
"The airline should celebrate our pilots' ability to get the job done, particularly under the kind of difficult and demanding circumstances that Captain Garbe ... faced last Friday."
Ironically, on Wednesday, American Airlines canceled 123 flights and grounded its 243 MD-80 aircraft to inspect wiring bundles on the planes.
Steve Garbe, 59, of Rockford is a commercial pilot for American Airlines. He's based out of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. On Sept. 27, 2007, Garbe captained an MD-80 twin-engine jet that took off from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The left engine on the plane's tail caught fire shortly after takeoff, forcing Garbe to turn around the O'Hare-bound plane.
He safely landed the plane with no one getting injured. Garbe then worked with the rest of the crew, safely deplaned all 137 passengers.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, noted the incident in its hotline a few days later.
"The airline should celebrate our pilots' ability to get the job done, particularly under the kind of difficult and demanding circumstances that Captain Garbe ... faced last Friday."
Ironically, on Wednesday, American Airlines canceled 123 flights and grounded its 243 MD-80 aircraft to inspect wiring bundles on the planes.