Two German pilots rescued after mayday call near Qaqortoq, Greenland

On Monday, a motor failure nearly turned disastrous for two German pilots southwest of Qaqortoq, Greenland. At 12:17 PM, the Flight Information Center in Nuuk and the Arctic Command received a mayday call from the aircraft. Fortunately, a Danish defense aircraft from the Air Transport Wing in Aalborg, which was only a few nautical miles away, witnessed the plane crash into the sea.

The crew aboard the Challenger quickly located the aircraft’s position and monitored its descent into the water. Following the emergency landing, the two pilots were able to deploy a life raft and wave at the Challenger’s crew as they floated in the water.

An inspection vessel from the Arctic Command was also in the vicinity, allowing rescuers to save the two passengers from the sea within 30 minutes of the incident. The rescue operation has been described as an exemplary demonstration of excellent coordination between the Arctic Command headquarters in Nuuk and the units deployed by the Air Force and Navy under its leadership.