Chinese aircraft makes unscheduled landing in Teller

UPDATE: The pilots received what they needed to continue their journey and departed Teller on Saturday, landing in Anchorage that night.

Teller had unexpected guests arriving in the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 19 as two Chinese pilots landed a turboprop airplane with Chinese markings at the Teller airstrip. Due to bad weather in Nome, they were unable to land and their flight was diverted to Teller. 
Reached by phone, Pilots Ping Wang and Shenghao Luo gave an account of their trip. Wang said that they were hired to transfer the plane from Harbin in northern China to Chile.

After four stops en route since leaving China, they left Anadyr/Chukotka on Wednesday and planned to refuel their plane in Nome. A moderate snowstorm with limited visibility allowed Bering Air planes to land but after one failed attempt, the Chinese pilots opted to not try again. Flight tracker radar showed that the Harbin Y-12E plane proceeded east towards White Mountain before heading north to Teller. By that time, they were running low on fuel and their plane was icing up, Wang said. The US flight service diverted them to Teller.

He added that the longest distance the plane can fly on before needing to refuel is 1,500 kilometers. Wang said they managed to land in Teller as DOT contractors there were onsite to greet them, after 6:30 p.m. Wang said he was very grateful for the help received from Teller residents when they assisted to the airplane on the airfield. The two pilots were taken to the school to overnight.

Wang said he was very grateful that they were fed dinner, lunch and breakfast and even had the luxury of a shower after their ordeal.

In order to proceed, they need fuel, de-icing fluid and a 28DC ground power unit. Wang said that they are requesting help from Bering Air to deliver these three items. As of Thursday afternoon, Bering Air is working out the details to assist and could deliver the items as early as Friday. Then, the pilots will be on their way, with the next stop being Anchorage, Wang said. Upon arrival in Anchorage, he said, they would be going through Customs and Border Patrol.

Wang said he is from the Guandong Province and Luo is from Shanghai. They were contracted to fly the plane from Harbin to Chile but were not told the reason for the transfer. Upon arrival in Chile, they will return to China via commercial airplane. He said they are working for a Shanghai flight service company.

As of Thursday afternoon, the FAA press office has  not responded to a Nugget request for comment.