21-year-old pilot Taylor Hash was on only her third solo flight on March 24th when the unthinkable happened: part of her landing gear fell off the plane and tumbled to the earth below.
“It was definitely the scariest moment I’ve had, probably in my life,” Hash told TODAY of the ordeal. She felt panicked as she realized she would have to land her plane without her front wheel, and hurriedly radioed air traffic control for help.
Flying nearby, veteran pilot and former SpaceX executive Chris Yates was astonished when he witnessed Hash’s landing gear fall off her plane. When he heard her transmission to air traffic control, he was struck by the fact that her first name, Taylor, was the same as his daughter’s. Yates immediately felt paternal toward the young pilot, and his dad mode kicked in. So, he says, did his emotions.
“I didn’t respond on the radio because I just couldn’t even talk,” he said. “I was welled up. I was thinking of my daughter and just how afraid and alone [Hash] probably felt,” he told TODAY.
After getting his emotions under control, Yates reached out to Taylor via radio.
“Taylor, this is Chris,” he said. “My daughter’s name is Taylor and I taught her to fly. We’re going to be just fine, kiddo.”
Hash said just those few words of kindness were what she needed to keep her cool.
“You can really tell how my voice went from frantic, ‘What am I going to do?’ to, ‘OK, I can do this,’ and that was 100% all thanks to him,” Hash said of Yates’ introduction.
Yates kept in contact with Taylor as she made her way to a small airport in Michigan to make her emergency landing, providing her with words of encouragement as she flew, but also distracting her with personal questions to help keep her calm. Learning that she wanted to be a professional pilot, he joked that she was going to have one heck of a story to tell as she started out her career.
“This is a good start. This is a good story to your legacy, kid,” he said.
Throughout her ordeal, Yates soothed Taylor over the radio, talking her through her landing step-by-step. He warned her that the front of her plane would dip when she touched down and lobbed a reassuring “There she comes, the nose is going to come down. You’re OK, you’re OK, you’re OK. Talk to me, kid,” as it did just that.
Hash came back with a joyous “I’m good. I’m all good,” and Yates responded with “Atta girl, I’m proud of you!”
That was the moment when it all hit Hash, and she broke down. “As soon as he said that, he goes, ‘I’m proud of you,’ the waterworks came,” she told TODAY. Yates said he teared up at seeing Hash land safely as well.
Big Plans Ahead
Her scary ordeal did not dim Hash’s desire to become a professional pilot. She said if she can handle that situation, she can handle any other mishaps that might come her way. The two pilots, who have plans to meet up and fly together soon, also credit the air traffic controller in the tower for allowing Yates to talk Hash through her landing.
This is truly a heartwarming case of Chris Yates being in the the right place—or air space—at the right time, and of a dad using his instincts to help someone else’s child in need. Best wishes to both Yates and Hash as they continue their flying adventures.
