Hero pilot’s daughter fulfills wish 30 years on

IT has been almost 30 years since legendary Mexican pilot Ruben Ocana flew into the hearts of the people of Mallow but tragically he never fulfilled his dream to return to the north Cork town where he was hailed a hero.

However, his daughter Mariana yesterday visited the riverside racetrack where, in 1983, her father managed to land an €8.5 million luxury Gulfstream II jet saving the lives of four passengers and his crew.

The 15-seat aircraft was travelling from New Jersey in the US to Munich in Germany when it was unable to land at fog-bound Shannon Airport for refueling. It was diverted to Cork but with fuel running out it had to make an emergency landing on the five furlong straight at the riverside track. Captain Ocaña and his crew spent almost six weeks in Mallow as an airstrip costing €150,000 was laid to get the jet airborne again. A year later, he returned to Mallow with his wife and family, but always intended making another visit to the town where he was treated as a celebrity.