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Small plane crashes into the Ohio River near Ripley

By TODD CURTIS, Staff Writer

Friday, August 22, 2008 9:22 PM EDT

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RIPLEY -- A small plane crashed into the Ohio River between Dover and Ripley Ohio early Friday evening around 5:30.

According to eyewitness accounts, a single engine plane which had been flying along the river "most of the day" crashed into the middle of the river.

The eyewitness reports from the Hillbilly Haven Campgrounds vary on what actually happened.

According to Robert Seng of Falmouth, the plane appeared to experience engine trouble. "My uncle and I saw the plane come up over the trees." Seng said. "We then heard what sounded like a sharp crack and the engine stalled. The plane then fell almost straight down about the length of 3 football fields into the middle of the river."

Jesse King said it appeared to him that pilot error or "showboating" was the cause. "The plane had been flying back and forth up the river all day long." King said. "As the plane circled and turned to go back up the river this time, the plane dipped down to the water and put the wheels into the water. The pilot had been doing that all day. As he did it again, it looked like the wheels went too far under and the propeller struck the water. The plane then crashed into the water."

Seng and King agreed on the response of bystanders though. "5 people jumped in from the Ripley side to swim out to the crash." Seng said. "Boats on the water immediately came to the aid of the people in the plane."

A single engine airplane was towed ashore by a pontoon boat late Friday afternoon near Ripley, Ohio. -- Terry Prather/Staff

"A pontoon boat went to the wreckage and threw lifesavers to the two people inside the plane and got them out." King said. "3 other pontoon boats followed and tied onto the plane to keep it from sinking and to drag it back to the shore."

Ripley Life Squad responded to the scene and was waiting when the occupants made it to the shoreline.

According to Seng, it took the boats approximately 45 minutes to drag the plane back to the Ohio shore.

Reports from Ohio indicate the occupants suffered no injuries and no one was transported from the scene to the hospital.

Information as to where the plane originated its flight was unavailable. According to Fleming/Mason Airport, the plane did not take off from its runways.

No information on the name of the owner, the pilot, or the passenger was available at press time.

Contact Todd Curtis at todd.curtis@lee.net or call 606-564-9091, ext. 272.

Reader Comments

Comments are limited to 200 words or less.

Kat wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:59 AM:

" Okay, this is a small town for you. Always making up stories. He was not flying along the river all day - he had took off from the house maybe 50 min before it happened. Let's be real--do you really think someone is going to do touch-n-goes on water?! No. I'm tired of the allegations that are not true. If you want to know what happened, why don't you ask the only one that truly knows, Richard. "

Skip wrote on Aug 23, 2008 10:55 AM:

" There was only the pilot in the home built aircraft, it only seats one person. "

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