Plane crashes into Lake Tahoe, passengers rescued by nearby boaters

Ari Plachta
·1 min read
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A small plane crashed into Lake Tahoe Saturday afternoon, officials said, seriously injuring one of the two passengers before they were rescued by nearby boaters.

El Dorado County Sherriff’s office said deputies responded to calls at 10:18 a.m. where the plane appeared to crash land into Rubicon Bay, on the western side of South Lake Tahoe.

Onlookers operating boats on the lake responded quickly to help the passengers of the plane, now fully submerged underwater. Authorities said one suffered from a serious head injury.

Flight tracking data appeared to show the Piper single-engine plane departed from the Truckee Tahoe Airport at 9:14 a.m. before picking up speed and losing altitude.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading an investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to post an incident report.

Local authorities did not respond to request for comment on condition of the passengers, but both survived the crash. The underwater plane was marked with GPS coordinates for hazardous material purposes, said the sheriff’s office.