User:Rachel White156/sandbox

Captain James Gibson (1929 - 2010)
James Gibson was born on April 26, 1929 in Portland, Oregon in the United States to John and Gertrude Gibson and went to Jefferson High School. James served in the U.S. Air Force between 1948 - 1952. He moved to Alaska with his family in 1957 and worked as a bush pilot, then as a captain of the 727 Jets for Reeve Aleutian Airways for 25 years.

During his time with Reeve Aleutian Airways, on 8 June 1983, James was the captain of Flight 8 aboard a Lockheed L-188 Electra. The aircraft's propeller separated from over Cold Bay, Alaska causing a tear through the underbelly of the aircraft, an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots managed to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. During this incident James Gibson was highly praised for his noble actions, leadership and crucial decisions that saved the lives on everyone on board Flight 8. The documentary surrounding this was shown in Season 12 Episode 1 of Mayday Air Crash Investigation - 'Fight for Control' produced by Cineflix.

James retired in 1989 and moved to Vancouver, WA where he lived at Fairway Village where he was active in community service. His hobby was building and flying radio control model air planes and was a member of the Fern Prairie Modellers. James passed away on January 5, 2010 and is survived by his wife, Doris, of 59 years; daughters, Kathleen and Karen; and grandsons, Brennan, Collin and Matthew. He was preceded in death by his brother, John.