This is the moment a pilot was rescued after spending nine hours stranded in alligator-infested waters he’d crash landed into.
Firefighters said in a Facebook post that reports of a downed aircraft emerged at around 10.30am on Tuesday in the area of Mack’s Fish Camp in Broward County, Florida.
Firefighter Christopher Kramer told a news conference on Wednesday they eventually located the downed plane in the Florida Everglades after receiving an updated location.
The unidentified topless pilot was sitting on the wing of the partially submerged aircraft when they arrived.
Rescuers said the waters were filled with “alligators and mosquitoes and everything else that’s out there”.
READ MORE: 14-foot alligator captured and killed after dragging human remains along canal
The area was not suitable for rescue helicopters to land, so a first responder was lowered down to rescue the pilot and hoisted him up.
The pilot had been the only person on board the Cessna Skyhawk 172M aircraft when he said he went down at 4am, meaning he was stranded for nine hours.
According to flight tracking, the plane had left a location near Lake Okeechobee and traveled south before encountering trouble in South Broward.
Rescuers said the pilot did not have any water and may have been dehydrated when he was rescued.
According to fire chief Michael Kane, the pilot had a wound on his leg.
He was immediately flown to nearby Hollywood Memorial Regional Hospital, where he remained Tuesday and underwent treatment.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are currently handling the investigation.
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