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Wednesday, August 12, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Local family endures terrifying flight Agendas...
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
The Rhett family of Sisters
was on their way home from
a family vacation in New
England last Friday when
they flew into a nightmare.
Over Nebraska, Delta
Flight 1889 from Boston to
Salt Lake City ran into severe
turbulence. Lightning flashed
and big hailstones pelted the
plane.
“Suddenly we just
dropped,” said 12-year-old
Simon Rhett. “And then we’d
rise up and then drop again.
People were just looking at
each other like ‘this isn’t sup-
posed to happen.’”
As the plane was buffeted
by the convergence of two
powerful storms, passengers
began to scream in fear.
“The screaming and the
hail and lightning — it was
really chaotic. Crazy,” Simon
recalled.
the screaming and
the hail and lightning — it
was really chaotic. Crazy.
— Simon Rhett
Simon and his mom,
Angeline, saw bursts of fire
coming out of an engine.
The plane dropped 15,000
feet in just a few seconds.
“I think basically the pilot
dove out of the storm,” said
Angeline.
Simon recalled that the
pilot came on the intercom
to inform the passengers that
they were going to divert to
Denver.
“We have a little wind-
shield damage,” the pilot told
them.
That
was
an
understatement.
When the Airbus A320
landed safely in Denver, fire
engines and police were on
photo by SiMon rhett
Severe hail damage was apparent as the Rhett family left the plane after
a scary flight.
the tarmac. Ground crews
gathered to look at the plane.
When the Rhetts turned
around after disembarking,
they saw the full extent of
what had happened during
the storm.
The windscreen was a spi-
derweb of cracks, the nosec-
one of the aircraft was stove
in and all the paint chipped
off.
“When we looked, it
was just hard to take it in,”
Angeline Rhett said.
The experience was as
chilling in retrospect as it was
terrifying in the moment.
“You really have no
control and it’s a long way
down,” Angeline said. “I
Bob & Carolyn
Burdick
”
!
h
a
e
Y
l
l
“He shoe
Horse t!
Contes
See you there!
Saturday
August 2 ,
3 p.m. 2
Set up
Pick your teams! (We need a scorekeeper)
Call Ward for more information
at 541-213-3030 after 5:30 p.m.
At Takoda’s | 425 Hwy 20 West Sisters
really enjoy flying — but I’ve
lost my flying innocence.”
For his part, Simon has an
amazing story to tell — but
one he’s not anxious to expe-
rience again.
“I probably will get on an
airplane,” he said. “But not
any time soon.”
Sisters City Council
City Hall, 520 E. Cascade
Ave.
Thursday, August 13.
6 p.m. workshop
• 911 presentation/letter
of support — Steve Reinke,
Deschutes County 911
Service District Director
• Letter of support review
— Sisters to Black Butte
Ranch Trail
• Letter of support review
— Petersen Ridge Trailhead.
• Department
of
Land Conservation and
Development (DCCD)
Technical Assistance Grant.
7 p.m. regular meeting:
• Resolution No. 2015-
18: Approving fire protection
code.
• Resolution No. 2015-
19: Supporting Carver Lake
Moraine Dam Risk Analysis
and Reduction Project.
• Resolution No. 2015-
20: Amending City pay plan
classification.
• Letter of support for
the formation of a new 911
Service District establishing
a permanent tax rate and con-
version to a regional radio
system.
• Approve Deschutes
County 911 Service District
Document No. 2015-
109 amending Operating
Agreement DC 2013-654
– K.
• Title VI plan.
• Recommendation to
the Oregon Liquor License
Commission on the annual
renewal of liquor licenses for
Sisters businesses.
• Declare certain City
property as surplus and
authorize the city manager to
dispose of the equipment.
• Modify U.S. Bank
authorized account signers.
• Easement agreement
between the City of Sisters
and Sisters Lodge Holdings,
LLC for a bicycle and pedes-
trian path.
• Dedication agreement
between the City of Sisters
and Sisters Lodge Holdings,
LLC for a public right-of-
way dedication.
• Water right transfer
application.
Sisters
Planning
Commission
City Hall, 520 E. Cascade
Ave., Thursday, August 20,
5:30 p.m.
Wo r k s h o p d i s c u s -
sion: Comprehensive Plan
and Development Code
amendments.
• Pine Meadow Village —
discussion on adopting PMV
planned unit development
standards.
• 1.3 — Definitions
for
formula
foods
establishments;
• 2.2 — Residential;
• 2.3 — multifamily
residential;
• 2.4 — Downtown
Commercial District;
• 3.2 — Landscaping.
• Review of residential
units summary and neighbor-
hood development status
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