A Little Luck & A Lot More

Ted Berg is thankful for many things including his family, friends and his miraculous second chance at life.

If you have ever noticed a small helicopter or airplane flying over Saline County in the last 45 years, chances are Ted was in the pilot seat. Whether he and his wife, Sandy are flying across the country or landing at the Bryant IHOP for Saturday morning breakfast, Ted prefers traveling with a bird’s eye view.

At five years old, Ted remembers building small wooden airplanes and daydreaming about flying above the trees. At 18 he took a job building gyrocopters in Little Rock and worked towards getting his pilots license. “I love flying; it’s just a peaceful place to be,” says Ted. “I remember telling my mom, it’s just like I thought it would be – soaring in the air.”

Every Thursday night, you can find Ted, his friends and fellow pilots, both seasoned and new, at his airplane hanger at the Saline County Regional Airport. For more than 15 years, Thursday nights have become a night where people come together to cookout and share their love of flying. “We promote airport safety, discuss our experiences and it’s a place to learn,” says Ted.

With hundreds of Thursday night safety meet ups and thousands of hours of flying experience, Ted and his two friends, Mike and Ricky, had luck on their side the night of November 17, 2014.

After spending the day in Fulton, Missouri to purchase a new airplane, the three men prepared their twin engine airplane for take off in frigid conditions. Once the plane was warmed up, filled with fuel and ready to depart, the outside air temperature registered a mere seven degrees. Then, in the midst of take off, the right engine quit on their plane.

“I tried to hold the plane and pull the good engine back, but the plane flipped and we didn’t have enough air running over the wings,” says Ted. “I dodged everything I could dodge but there was a big ditch that I thought we were not going to avoid.”

Careening into the woods at nearly 100 miles an hour, they braced for impact. “I was more worried about Mike and Ricky than I was about myself,” said Ted. “We were so lucky to not have been killed by the impact. Fuel was everywhere. Somehow it did not catch on fire.”

Mike and Ted were pinned underneath the dash of the airplane. Neither one of them were able to feel their legs. “We both pinched our legs and then we pinched each other’s legs and we could not feel anything,” said Ted. “Then we laughed and said maybe we need to retire.”

All three men were taken to the hospital in Columbus, Missouri. Ricky was released after a couple of days in the hospital while Ted and Mike; both were taken into surgery to repair their broken backs.

After five months of extensive physical therapy, both men regained movement in their legs and are expected to make a full recovery. Participating in physical therapy twice a day, Ted is now able to walk with cuff crutches and has flown in his helicopter and airplane accompanied by a flight instructor.

With encouragement from his friends and family, Ted remains positive about the experience. The possibility of a life without walking or flying never entered his mind. “From the very beginning, I felt like I was going to give 110%,” says Ted. “I saw improvement and it gave me hope. I felt like I was going to get back to normal.”

Even after the crash, Ted has no superstitions when it comes to flying. “I’ve never had a fear of flying. My luck has been pretty good when you take into account all the hours I’ve flown,” says Ted. “I was never scared of flying and I’m still not scared of flying.”

“I think we had an angel flying with us,” says Ted. With a second chance at life for he and his two friends, many would consider their survival divine intervention or at the very least a miraculous stroke of luck.