HARTWELL, Ga. (WFLA) — A small plane that took off from Florida crashed into a Georgia lake over the weekend, according to NBC affiliate WYFF.
The news station reported that the pilot’s body remains in the plane, which sits at the deepest part of Lake Hartwell.
Hartwell County Sheriff’s Office said the six-seat two-engine plane crashed around noon Saturday, landing upside down and sinking more than 120 feet below, WYFF reported.
“The witnesses on scene said they saw the plane circling,” said Captain Chris Carroll with the Hart County Sheriff’s Office told WYFF. “The plane went up into the clouds, and it came back down spiraling and it hit the water. It was probably 40 seconds before they got over to it and it had already gone under.”
The news station reported that the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office dive team was called in over the weekend to help find the plane and the pilot.
Carroll told WYFF that Oconee County divers quickly ran into complications.
“It’s completely pitch dark,” Carroll told the news station. “Of course, the lake is murky, anyway. You’ve only got several feet of visibility. But they’re having to use flashlights to be able to see anything.”
After two days of diving and searching, the sheriff’s office confirmed to WYFF that a body is inside the plane but they are having trouble retrieving it.
“The depth of the water’s causing us issues, and as far as our resources, we’ve exhausted everything we have to be able to lift the place and get the person out,” Carroll told the news station. “We’re having to wait, which is frustrating to us, because of course we want to jump on it and get him out as soon as we can.”
The sheriff’s office told WYFF that the plane will be raised out of the water using a crane on Thursday.
NTSB released a statement about the investigation to WYFF.
NTSB is investigating the Sept. 10, 2022, crash of a Beech BE55 near Hart County, Georgia. The pilot was on an IFR flight plan and departed Punta Gorda, Florida that morning. NTSB is working with the insurance company and a salvage company on recovery efforts.
It is important to note that it is very early in the investigation. NTSB does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process. This is considered the fact gathering phase of the investigation. I suspect that preliminary report may be available in about 15 business days. A typical NTSB investigation can take 12-24 months to complete and determine cause.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Beechcraft B55, and only the pilot was on board, WYFF reported.