BIG PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXMI) — A boater came to the rescue of two people after their plane crashed at Hardy Dam Pond Saturday morning.
The Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office says the plane was performing touch-and-go maneuvers on the Hardy Dam Pond when it started taking on water.
Two occupants, a 55-year-old man from Grand Haven and a 56-year-old man from Tennessee, were rescued from the water. Neither were hurt in the crash.
Ron Overla was on a boat at the time and saw the crash.
“He came down and I noticed he didn’t have pontoons on the plane, so I veered toward that direction,” Overla explained to FOX 17, WXYZ's Grand Rapids sister station.
“The motor set off and the guys got out and were waving at me, and I picked them up,” Overla said.
Overla picked up the two people on the plane and put them on his boat.
“I think they had a little shock going on. They didn’t plan on landing the plane in the river,” Overla explained.
He says he tried to tow the plane with his boat but wasn’t able to. First responders placed airbags under the plane after it sank to help get it out of the water, Overla told FOX 17.
"Just glad to help the guys out. Any of us would out there," Overla said.
Video shows the plane being towed through the streets of White Cloud Saturday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration released the following statement to FOX 17 regarding the crash.
"A single-engine Aerofab LA-4 made a hard landing in a pond near Newaygo, Michigan around 9 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 8. Two people were on board. The FAA will investigate."
Newaygo County deputies and the Big Prairie Fire Department responded to the scene. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Federal Aviation Administration also responded to the scene.
The crash remains under investigation.
