Update: Identity of pilot killed in Mille Lacs Lake plane crash released
UPDATE 10:20 p.m.:
Authorities recovered the body of 47-year-old Ryan Comer just before 10 p.m., Sheriff Burton said.
Authorities are responding to a fatal plane crash on Mille Lacs Lake.
Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office said a 911 call about the plane crash Friday afternoon, around two miles east of Shah-Bush-Kung Bay Public Water Access in Kathio Township.
The 911 caller was a pilot of a second floatplane who saw the crash.
Investigators believe that both planes took off from the Anoka County Municipal Airport around 1 p.m. and flew to Mille Lacs Lake planning to do a brief water landing, with the final destination being Aitkin County.
One of the planes successfully landed but the other crashed into the lake and is nose-down in 26 feet of water, authorities said. Investigators believe that the pilot, the sole occupant of the plane, is still inside.
Sheriff Kyle Burton told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that crews are working to recover the body of the pilot, a man in his 40s, before nightfall.
The scene is still active and the Sheriff’s Office said it is in the process of getting additional resources to respond to the crash.
Anoka and St. Louis Sheriff’s Office are assisting in the search.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified.
The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by several agencies, with several others being called to the scene.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.