HAM LAKE – (May 5, 2020) – When a small plane crashed in the City of Ham Lake on April 30, the outcome could have been much worse.
A Cessna 180 outfitted with floats crashed into Coon Lake as the pilot was attempting a touch and go maneuver on the lake. It left the plane submerged up-side-down in the lake with only the floats visible above water.
Lakeside resident Bob Leebens says he heard the loud crash and was one of several lakefront residents who ran toward their boats to see if they could help.
“It got pretty exciting pretty quick,” said Leebens. “My neighbor was running around trying to get his canoe in the water and I said, ‘C’mon let’s jump in my pontoon with a neighbor lady, Gail who’s a nurse.’ We just jumped in a boat and ran out there to see if we could help him. By the time we got there he had just gotten into another boat.”
Leebens says the 72 year old pilot was shaken up but doing well.
Rescuers remembered that he mentioned how thankful he was that the plane’s door was able to open even though it was underwater.
According to the sheriff’s office, the landing gear was in the down position causing the plane to crash in the lake when it should have been using the pontoon floats to land on.
Bob Leebens says they’re used to rescuing boaters, so helping out was a natural thing to do.
“You see people who are broken down and stuff so it’s really no big deal,” Leeben said. “Minnesota nice.”
Residents say they often see float planes flying low over their homes, but no one could remember seeing one crash in Coon Lake before.
