Authorities hailed quick-thinking kayakers as heroes after assisting in the rescue of a pilot whose single-engine plane crashed Monday morning into an icy creek in Maryland.
According to Maryland State Police, the plane crashed into Beards Creek in Edgewater near the Lee Airport shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Steve Couchman, 71, of Frederick, piloted the Piper Cherokee.
According to police, his plane began to sputter shortly after takeoff from Lee Airport.
According to police, Couchman was rescued by three alert kayakers.
“Two nearby civilians and an on-duty police officer from the Anne Arundel County Police Department who heard the call, used three kayaks to skim across the iced creek to provide assistance to the pilot. While the plane was sinking, the pilot exited his plane and stood on the wing. Once the kayakers were close enough, the pilot was able to hang on to one of them to stay afloat,” police added in a statement.
The rapid response of the kayakers saved the pilot from hypothermia.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the type of plane that crashed in a statement, saying it happened just west of the airport. The cause of the crash was unknown as of Monday.
