02 November 2023 , 18:55
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A terrified pilot spent over six hours clinging to the wreckage of his plane after it crashed into a
The unnamed man clung to the half submerged remains of his single-engine Cessna Skyhawk, desperately waiting for rescue in a remote corner of the Everglades swamp in Florida, US. His plane went down at around 4am, about an hour after he took off from Lake Okeechobee.
According to flight tracking website Flight Aware the plane dropped suddenly from around 2,000 feet, before temporarily stabilising then nose diving into the wetland. Authorities weren't alerted to the crash until 10am so hours passed before a rescue operation could be launched.
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The swamp around the wreckage teems with alligators (NBC)Miami Dade Rescue Captain Andy Borges told NBC 6 South Florida: “The area that he was in was hard to access by airboats." Instead teams had to send a chopper in to save the pilot.
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The brave pilot was found shirtless standing on the wings of his wrecked plane with his injured leg wrapped in an improvised tourniquet fashioned from his shirt. A rescuer was lowered from the helicopter and the stricken pilot was hauled to safety.
“He was out there since four in the morning, so it’s alligators and mosquitos and everything else that is out there,” Borges said. “A little dehydrated. So, very happy to see us.”
The rescue teams arrive to rescue the stricken man (NBC)“To be able to seemingly walk away with just a leg injury after putting an aircraft down in the Everglades with the thick brush is an amazing feat in itself,” Broward Sheriff’s Office fire chief Michael Kane told CBS Miami. “We’re very grateful that he’s okay.”
The pilot likely couldn't call for help earlier as the plane cockpit with all the communications devices were submerged in the swampy waters, Kane said.
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Following his ordeal, the pilot was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. His plane originated from the Pilot Training Center, which first notified authorities of the crash after the flight was overdue.
The rescuer arrives to help the man (NBC)“Everything is fine, the pilot is fine, thank you very much,” the flight school told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
There are an estimated 200,000 alligators living in the Everglades swamps. With their massive jaws and rows of savage teeth, alligators have been known to kill humans.
In September deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office found a mum's lifeless body in the maw of a massive, nearly 14-foot alligator that crawled out of a creek in Largo, Florida.
The view from the rescue helicopter (NBC)The ensuing investigation unearthed several gruesome details about Sabrina Peckham's death, and her daughter, Breauna Dorris, was among the first to learn about what happened.
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The horrific discovery was made by a passerby who spotted the giant beast as he strolled through a neighbourhood in Largo, Florida — a city about 15 miles northwest of Saint Petersburg — around 1.30pm on Friday, September 22.