Small plane that went down in river towed to dry land Sunday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A small plane that went down in the St. Johns River Saturday during an emergency landing is now out of the water. The Piper Cherokee-235 splashed down in the water in the Mill Cove area near the Dames Point Bridge Saturday morning and was towed out to dry land Sunday. Getting the plane out of the river wasn't easy because the Mill Cove area is mainly swamp and muck. Captain Rob James, of Seatow Jacksonville, said the plane was pulled out of the water much like a boat would be towed. Leading up to the crash, the small Piper plane had just left Craig Airport when it experienced engine failure on takeoff.
Pilot rescued after small plane goes down near Dames Point Bridge
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A pilot who apparently made an emergency landing Saturday in the Mill Cove area of the St. Johns River was rescued by a good Samaritan and was uninjured. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue crews said there was no fuel spill and the plane remained in the water while efforts to salvage it begin. Sources told News4Jax that the pilot of the small plane was an aircraft mechanic who experienced engine issues on take-off. (That) didn't happen here, and it tells me the pilot did a masterful job in (a) forced landing." Rob James was on Seatow Jacksonville patrol and took this photo of the plane down in the river.