Pilot dies after plane crashes into Pemaquid Harbor in Bristol, Maine; passenger able to escape
Officials say the crash happened near Fort William Henry
BRISTOL, Maine —
Maine officials say a plane crash off the coast of Bristol has left the pilot dead and the lone passenger of the aircraft injured.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said that at 1 p.m. Thursday, the county’s 911 center received calls reporting a plane crash near Fort William Henry in Bristol. Crews from the Bristol Fire and Rescue Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln County Ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
First responders found a small, single-engine airplane lying upside down in Pemaquid Harbor in about 4 feet of water. Video captured by a Maine’s Total Coverage photographer showed that the wreckage was close to shore.
Officials said nearby residents and a building crew witnessed the crash and rushed into the water to help. A Bristol resident told Ronnie Parrillo of Maine’s Total Coverage that carpenters who were working at nearby homes rushed into the water to try to help the people who were in the plane.
The male pilot was pulled from the plane but died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. A male passenger, however, had been able to escape and was transported to Lincoln Hospital Miles Campus in Damariscotta with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Sheriff’s Office said the men’s identities are not being shared publicly at this time.
According to officials, the aircraft, a Diamond DA20, left Brunswick Airport and was headed to Knox County Airport when it potentially experienced some kind of mechanical failure.
The Sheriff’s Office said the cause of the crash will be determined by investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The FAA said the NTSB will be leading the crash investigation.
The plane was removed from the water by a local marine barge and moved to a secure location pending the federal crash investigation.
As the aircraft was being lifted out of the harbor at about 5:30 p.m., the right wing detached and fell back into the water.
The Maine’s Total Coverage crew at the scene captured a clear photo of the plane’s tail number as it was being removed from the water. The FAA registry indicates the plane is registered to a man who lives in Lee, New Hampshire.
The Sheriff’s Office also said members of the Maine Marine Patrol provided assistance at the crash scene.