HARBOR BEACH, Mich. — A pilot whose small plane crashed in Lake Huron spent more than 17 hours swimming and treading water before he was rescued, authorities said Wednesday.
Michael W. Trapp, 42, of Gouverneur, N.Y., was picked up by a fishing boat shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Huron County Sheriff's Office said.
Trapp was flying a 1966 Cessna 150 from New York to Eau Claire, Wis., when he experienced some type of fuel problem and the aircraft went down in the lake Tuesday evening, Sheriff Kelly Hanson said.
"Upon impact, the airplane flipped over. He had prepared for impact by opening his door, which allowed him to take off his seatbelt once under water. He then escaped the airplane as it sank seconds later," Hanson said in a press release.
"From what our understanding is, he treaded water from around 17:00 yesterday until 10:30 this morning, without any assistance of a life jacket."
The U.S. Coast Guard said Trapp apparently swam about 15 miles toward lights on the horizon until the crew of the fishing vessel Eagle's Nest came upon him.
The water temperature overnight was probably about 70 degrees, Hanson told msnbc.com.
"He had very good spirits, even a little bit of a sense of humor for what he endured," Hanson said. "He made a comment to the effect of, 'If a 13-year-old can swim across the English Channel, I should be able to accomplish this."
Trapp was cold and shaking and his body was a bit discolored after his rescue, but he seemed alert and otherwise in good condition, Hanson said.
Trapp was taken to Harbor Beach Hospital, where he was in good condition Wednesday. Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said.
The airplane has not been recovered.
As for the pilot's survival time in the water, "I would certainly call it unusual but not impossible as we saw it demonstrated today," Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kyle Niemi told msnbc.com.
"It’s certainly unlikely," Hanson said. "If this would have been May or November it would have been more unlikely. The water temperature was on his side."
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com
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