NEW SALEM — The pilot of a small plane was rescued from the Quabbin Reservoir by a Massachusetts State Police trooper after crashing into the water Friday night, New Salem Fire Chief Matt O’Donnell confirmed.
In a statement, O’Donnell said the New Salem Fire Department, New Salem Police Department, Orange Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Police responded to the Quabbin Reservoir at 7:40 p.m. after a witness reported a plane had crashed into the water, and there was a person in the water calling for help.
First responders confirmed the report of an adult man in the water near Fishing Area 2 off of Route 122 on Regulating Dam Road. Visual and voice contact was maintained with the man, who was identified as the plane’s pilot.
The first responding state trooper was equipped with a personal flotation device and a tether line. The trooper was able to rescue the pilot, who was taken back to shore and transported by an Orange Fire Department ambulance to the Orange Municipal Airport. From there, he was airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
O’Donnell said it is believed there were no other occupants in the plane, and no other injuries have been reported. A cause of the crash has not been released.
The plane remains fully submerged and will stay in the water until personnel and equipment can remove it. According to O’Donnell, personnel are expected to be on scene Saturday as well.
Northfield Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III confirmed Friday night that the Northfield Dive/Rescue Team was initially requested to respond but was canceled en route.
More than 10 emergency vehicles could be seen lining Route 122 on Friday night, while investigators with flashlights moved about the nearby woods and took photos. A Wendell/Leverett Police cruiser was also on scene.
Calls to the Massachusetts State Police and the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office were not immediately returned on Friday night.
