PEARLAND, Texas — "I never thought I'd be a plane crash survivor ... "
That's the opening line of a dramatic post by an Alvin man who recently survived a plane crash at Pearland Regional Airport.
Read Flake and a friend were passengers in a 1973 Grumman that took off from Galveston on December 11 -- a clear, sunny, blue-sky day.
They were enjoying the aerial views until something went very wrong with the electrical system.
"First the headsets went out, then the radio, then the avionics (navigation)," Flake posted. "We knew we had to get down quickly."
The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Pearland. Video shot by Flake from inside the plane showed a bumpy landing. Once they were down, things quickly went south.
"With no way to communicate, the pilot ahead was unaware of our presence and braked hard to make a left turn on the tarmac. With our flaps not operational, we couldn’t slow fast enough and plowed into his plane at high speed as he turned," Flake explained.
"Whoa!" one of the men yelled right before impact.
The Grumman's propeller tore a hole in the left side of the other plane's fuselage, causing extensive damage.
"Fortunately, the impact was behind the pilot and he had no passenger on the backseat or it would have been fatal," Flake said.
The pilot and passengers remained surprisingly calm during the ordeal.
"The impact was devastating with aluminum crumpling and glass exploding everywhere," Flake said.
"You all right?" the pilot asked after the crash.
"I'm OK, you OK?" Flake replied.
"Yeah, yeah, my fault, my fault, my fault," the pilot said.
Someone ran over to check on them.
"Everyone OK?"
"Sorry," the pilot said.
The cockpit was jammed shut and some guys had to pry it off to get them out. Flake said they had refueled in Galveston so if the tanks had ruptured and ignited, they would have been trapped.
Flake's shoulder pushed through the window and he had some cuts from the glass but thankfully, nothing serious.
It's a different story for the two planes. Both are likely totaled, according to Flake.
He said it could have been a much different ending if not for the pilot's 23 years of experience flying.
"I was sorry for the loss of equipment but it could have been so much worse! And if you know my history, maybe I should find another hobby besides aviation," Flake posted.
The "history" he's referring to includes a paragliding crash that landed Flake in the hospital for six weeks and a wheelchair for a year.
A friend told him he's either cursed, incredibly blessed or both!
Photos: Before, during and after crash!
