Charlie Osborne, O ’22, is a lifeguard on Surf City Beach in New Jersey. He was on the stand this summer when a banner plane lost altitude before crashing into the water and sinking quickly. We talked to Br. Osborne about the shocking moment and his reactions to the rescue.
Chi Psi: This is a crazy story! How did it all happen?
Charlie Osborne: Well, we saw this banner plane drop its banner and thought, “that’s weird.” I figured it was just something to keep an eye on. I’d never seen that before, but figured the pilot just had to drop the banner for some reason. Then it started losing altitude and I thought, “can that plane land on water?” We could tell something was really wrong as it started getting lower and lower. The plane hit the water, flipped forward, and created a huge splash. That’s when I jumped off the chair.
ΧΨ: What was going through your mind as you started going out for the rescue?
CO: My instincts just kicked in when I saw the plane go down. I jumped into the water without hesitation. I’ve had plenty of rescues before, but never seen something like that. Me and [fellow lifeguard Scott Meggitt] paddled out as fast as we could but the plane sank in less than 30 seconds. Luckily, I spotted the pilot and was able to yell out to him to make sure he didn’t have any passengers still trapped in the plane. It was just him, and had only minor injuries.
ΧΨ: Tell us about the moment when you reached the pilot and saw that he was alone and okay.
CO: It was so much easier after that. It was a relief to hear that he was okay. I immediately smiled and the tension released. We were able to get him back to the beach easily and he went with paramedics to get his injuries looked at.
ΧΨ: And you said his injuries were minor, thankfully. Did you ever find out why the plane crashed?
CO: Yeah, we learned the plane’s engine cut out, forcing the pilot to glide with the wind and try to make the water landing. I’ve also heard the pilot fully recovered. It could have been much worse.
ΧΨ: So, is that a scenario you’d actually practiced in lifeguard training?
CO: Yes, actually! We talked about that exact situation. Whenever it was brought up, it was like, “okay, good to know, but that’s never gonna happen.” Afterwards, friends and family members who are also lifeguards reached out to me when they heard the news and said I’d gotten the “dream” rescue. [laughs]
ΧΨ: Did you hear from any of your Chi Psi Brothers after it happened?
CO: Oh, yeah. Someone sent a link in our Alpha group chat asking if it was me. People have been messaging me constantly about it. It was pretty crazy!
ΧΨ: Well, we’re glad everyone was okay. Great job out there, Charlie! Last thing: tell us a little bit about the post-rescue moments. It had to be a whirlwind.
CO: There was a crowd on the beach clapping for us when we got back, but once the commotion died down we just had to go right back on our stands and finish out our shifts like any normal day. I was just sitting there thinking, “holy crap, did that just happen?”
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