Plane crash survivor uses 2nd chance at life for philanthropy

CHARLOTTE — On Sept. 20, 1989, a plane headed to Charlotte from New York’s LaGuardia Airport skidded off the runway into the cold waters of Bowery Bay.

Concord’s Joseph Panko, then a passenger on US Air Flight 5050, remembers sitting on the tarmac for at least 45 minutes.

“I was extremely tired from the day’s exercise and working,” he said. “Once we started to take off -- it was taking off, taking off, taking off -- but never got up.”

When the plane’s flight crew aborted takeoff, it crashed, shattering into three pieces.

Panko was among 61 survivors though he suffered major injuries to his leg and back.

Two people on board were killed.

For Panko, the memories of that day are more like nightmares, and 34 years later they haven’t stopped.

“You really never recover from a plane crash in a lot of different ways, physically and mentally,” he said. “At this point, I’m probably 75%.”

His treatment since has been both physical and mental, which includes treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The mental challenges he says are often harder to detect.

“We all can repair our arms and legs and our backs to some degree, and we have those pains and aggravations getting around. But when it deals with your head and emotional trauma, it’s difficult,” he said.

Panko has found a sense of purpose and healing in giving back.

For the past 25 years, he’s been a fixture across the region, hosting charity auctions at events including Charlotte Knights baseball games at Truist Field or during the Luncheon Speaker Series hosted by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

“When I was interviewing and spending time with the psychiatric group about my PTSD, they talked about donating things to charities,” Panko said.

“From auctioning off a Clemson helmet, for example, signed by Danny Ford, is really interesting because if there are several people that want it, it gets bid up, and up, and up -- and if the charity gets anything above my cost, my cost doesn’t change and the charity keeps making more, and more, and more,” he said.

“It’s work but it’s also fun,” he said. “It gets me out and about to where I don’t focus on my challenge.”

Panko says since he began, the charity auctions have helped raised more than $100K for Charlotte Knights charities.

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