Rented plane landed in SC river near Catawba Indian Reservation, sheriff says
Two people escaped to a riverbank after a rented, small plane landed in the Catawba River in South Carolina near Rock Hill Friday morning, officials said.
The plane flipped onto its top after it hit the water and stopped in shallow water near the Lancaster County side of the river around 10:30 a.m., the Lancacster County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The two people in the plane got out and made it to land, the Lancaster County sheriff statement said.
The river in that area separates York County and Lancaster County.
Both people declined medical treatment, said Lancaster County Emergency Management Director Darren Player.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was on the scene, officials said.
The call for help came in from officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, reporting that a small plane had gone down in the Catawba River, according to emergency radio traffic obtained by The Herald via Broadcastify.
Dispatch reported that another aircraft was circling and hovering overhead.
Plane was rented: Lancaster Sheriff
Officials have not released the names of the two people in the plane or the name of the company it was rented from.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said the plane went down in the river near the Sun City ball fields and community garden. The FAA hasn’t released a statement about why the plane landed in the river.
“It flipped onto its top when it hit the water and came to rest in shallow water fairly close to the bank,” Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said in a written statement. “It was occupied by two people, both of whom escaped the plane and made it to the bank a short distance away. Neither suffered serious injuries.”
Faile said a representative of the company that owns the plane also went to the scene.
The area is east of Rock Hill and southeast of Charlotte.
Lancaster County firefighters went to the scene along with emergency officials and deputies from both counties.
No other information has been released.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 11:26 AM.
