Lake Apopka, Florida

A trooper's perfect timing today helped save the life of a pilot who crashed his plane into the murky, gator-infested waters of Lake Apopka.

Sgt. Luis Badia, a pilot for the Florida Highway Patrol, called for help around 10:30 a.m. when he noticed an ultralight submerged in the muck of Lake Apopka this morning.

Several agencies arrived at Lake Apopka and pulled the unidentified pilot from about six feet of muddy water, near Magnolia Park, off South Binion Road.

It appears the man was not injured, but crews took him to a local hospital.

FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said the pilot's plane went down and no one witnessed it.

"The pilot had no way of communicating that his plane had crashed because he didn't have a radio on the craft," Montes said. "It was perfect timing that Badia was in the area to report it."

This is not the first time a pilot has crashed their plane into polluted Lake Apopka.

In 1992, a pilot crashed his vintage military airplane into the murky water. It exploded on impact. That pilot died in the crash.

A twin-engine cargo plane plunged into Lake Apopka in 1989, killing the two men on the aircraft.

ZELLWOOD, Florida  -- A rescue crew pulls someone to safety late Tuesday morning after a plane is seen in Lake Apopka. Sgt. Kim Montes said a Florida Highway Patrol pilot spotted a plane in the water on Tuesday morning. A rescue crew responded to the lake. Chopper 2 captured video of a person swimming in the lake and then being rescued.