SCOUTING YESTERDAY | South Dakota's state pilot blamed politics for landing career early
This week in South Dakota history: Aug. 15-21
Tired of flying a lemon, Gov. Richard Kneip’s pilot, Don Achtien, submitted his resignation 50 years ago this week.
After the state Legislature earlier in the year failed to act on Kneip’s request for a new plane to replace the aging Piper Navajo, Achtien was forced to make an emergency landing while flying the governor and other state officials.
“I can no longer be responsible for your safety in the present aircraft due to my experience in the aviation industry. When the politicians play with the lives of individuals, I no longer can be part of the same...” read the pilot’s handwritten resignation letter to the governor, quoted in the Aug. 18, 1975, edition of The Mitchell Daily Republic.
