Pilot uses phone to guide rescuers to crashed plane deep in woods, Florida cops say

A pilot trapped in the crumbled remains of his downed plane used his cell phone to guide rescuers to the remote crash site that was thick with trees and brush, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The single-engine plane went down shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, July 18, near the town of Palatka, the sheriff’s office said in a new release. Palatka is about 60 miles south of Jacksonville.

“Our 911 dispatchers received a call from a pilot stating he was having issues with his plane and was trying to return to Kay Larkin Airport. The call cut off shortly after ... prompting a search of the area near the airport,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Both a helicopter and another airplane searched the area, but could not find the plane in the very wooded terrain.”

Investigators say the pilot used his cell phone to call 911 after the crash, and a communications team was “able to ping his phone” location to an area northeast of the airport.

An all-terrain vehicle was used to reach the crash site, and rescuers “extracted him out of the plane shortly after 9:30 a.m.,” officials said.

The pilot was “flown to a trauma hospital,” officials said.

The identity of the pilot and extent of his injuries were not released. He was the only one person aboard the plane at the time, officials said.

Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show RV-10 aircraft crashed into trees, which then collapsed on top of it, preventing easy detection from above.

The crash is being investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. A cause had not been released.

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Pilot uses phone to guide rescuers to crashed plane deep in woods, Florida cops say."