Here is a recording of the very odd conversation between the pilot of the small plane that landed on Rockaway Beach this past Monday and an air traffic controller at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Thanks to LiveATC.net for the audio!
After a truly bizarre series of exchanges between 24-year-old pilot, Jason Maloney, and the JFK tower, the pilot asks if it is okay to land his rented Piper PA-28 on the public beach. When the controller advises against that as it is a public beach, Maloney declares first that his engine is running a “teensy, teensy bit rough” and that he’s going to make a precautionary landing. He then changes his story, telling JFK tower that he has “a sick passenger” and that he is landing on the beach.
Following a seemingly smooth landing along the surf in Far Rockaway near Beach 54th Street, Maloney and his two passengers walked away, and none were hospitalized. Maloney reportedly told police that he got the idea from the Discovery Channel TV show, “Flying Wild Alaska.”
Maloney’s plane is currently being inspected by FAA investigators to check out whether his engine truly was running a “teensy bit rough.” If not, he could face revocation of his pilot’s license as well as significant fines.
After holing-up in his parents’ upstate New York home, Maloney was reportedly rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after suffering from seizures. There was no further word on his condition.
