Boaters rescue 2 people from water after plane crashes in Lake Tahoe
LAKE TAHOE — Civilians rescued two people from the water after a small plane crashed in Lake Tahoe Saturday morning.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said it happened shortly after 10:15 a.m. in Rubicon Bay, which is just north of Emerald Bay on the southwest side of the lake.
John and Svetlana Raleigh were two of those civilians who were on their boat near Rubicon Bay just before the crash. A passenger on their boat saw the plane hit the water.
"I was thinking this is going to be really bad and we're going to have to go in the water, but then I saw two heads pop up," John said.
The Raleighs raced over to the site of the crash and found the plane nose-down with its tail end in the air. With the help of other boaters, the Raleighs were able to get the two men onto their boat.
Once they made it back to a dock, the two men were helped by medics and transported to an area hospital. At least one of the two men suffered a serious head injury, authorities said.
"I've been boating for 45 years and seen it all, but I know when there is a disaster or when something really bad happens, that all that matters is just to be there, be calm and do what you can," John said.
The Raleighs say they were just in the right place at the right time and thank the other boaters who assisted with the rescue.
"The first thing I said to them was, well it was mainly the pilot, the younger guy, I asked him if he's OK and he says, 'We're lucky to be alive,' " John said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane was a single-engine Piper PA-28. It has been fully submerged in the water and its GPS coordinates were marked for potential hazmat purposes, the sheriff's office said.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.