WELCH, Minn. (KTTC) -- Recovery teams were at North Lake near Welch all Saturday morning trying to pull a single-engine airplane out of the water after it went through the ice late Friday afternoon.
The pilot had dropped off an ice fisherman in the remote backwaters of the Mississippi River when the accident happened.
The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office said no one was hurt.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, was able to scramble to safety and get help after the nose of his plane went underwater.
Both the sheriff's office and the Federal Aviation Administation are now investigating the incident.
KTTC's Mike Sullivan reports from the scene that recovery teams and the pilot's family all gathered at the scene by mid-morning.
"They brought a sandwich platter for all the workers who were there to help," said Sullivan. "There were at least 20 people here helping to get it out of the water."
Sullivan said they used airbags to prop up the front of the plane to get it partially out of the water, then used a four-wheel ATV to get it close to shore, where a tow truck could get a cable on it and pull it off the lake.
Sgt. Scott Powers of the Goodhue Co. Sheriff's Office said the pilot had just dropped off his passenger and gear for ice fishing and was next going to head to Hastings to pick up his next passenger when it happened.
"Basically when he was getting ready to taxi off the ice and take off, it fell through the ice," said Sgt. Powers. He said the pilot and family are from the Hastings area.
The sheriff's office said the water of North Lake was about six feet deep where the plane went through the ice.
Story and photo gallery: http://www.kttc.com
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