COLLIER COUNTY – A family’s fishing trip in South Florida took a dramatic turn when they stumbled upon a plane upside down in the Everglades.
Inside the submerged aircraft was 42-year-old Ryan Cody, and the family sprang into action to save him.
A witness said, “We saw flying upside down and so we went up to the plane and tied off.” His brother Brian, a retired firefighter-paramedic, jumped into the water without hesitation.
Clough said, “Jumped in the water without a mask, and it came back up and said, there’s a there’s a body, there’s a person in the plate. So I told my grandson to grab a knife.”
The family pulled Cody from the aircraft, battling the current to keep him above water. Clough shared, “We’re fighting the current to keep above the water, you know, head up.”
As they awaited deputies, the family’s 11-year-old grandson called dispatch and handed over the knife that helped free Cody.
Clough said, “Afterwards, he got on my shoulders and cried.”
When deputies arrived, Brian assisted paramedics with CPR, and for a moment, there was hope. Clough said, “They got a heartbeat.”
Tragically, Cody did not survive, leaving the family haunted by how close they felt they were to saving him. Clough said, “We wish we would have got there about 30 minutes earlier. We could have probably saved him.”
Despite the heartbreak, the family remains proud of their bravery. Their grandson now wants to learn CPR to help save lives in the future.
The NTSB expects a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days.