Engine Failure Turns Puppy Ferrying Flight Into Glider

Updated GPS and a moving map display were a game changer when a Cessna 172N engine lost power.

Kieran Spaulding

Thursday, September 07, 2023 at 12:47 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Roland Vegiard (left) and Kerry Spaulding. [Credit: Maryanne Bell/Bradford County Humane Society]

Key Takeaways:

A pilot and co-pilot volunteered their Cessna 172N for a Pilots 'n Paws mission, transporting dogs and nine puppies between Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
During the return flight, the aircraft experienced a complete engine failure at 9,500 feet, leading to a successful emergency glide landing at Virginia Highlands Airport (KVJI).
Airport staff and local Animal Control deputies at KVJI provided exceptional support, caring for the puppies, before the pilots rented a minivan to complete the journey back to Pennsylvania.

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As a pilot and airplane owner, I try to share my passion for flying by donating my time and airplane—a recently purchased single-engine Cessna 172N—for worthy causes like Pilots ‘n Paws.

Recently, Roland Vegiard and I embarked on a charitable trip in support of Pilots ‘n Paws relocating some sheltered animals for the Bradford County Humane Society from Towanda, Pennsylvania, to Asheville, North Carolina.