Mille Lacs, Minn. – Authorities are conducting an investigation following a fatal plane crash that occurred on Mille Lacs Lake on Friday afternoon. The incident involved a single-engine Icon A5 aircraft that crashed into the lake at approximately 1:50 p.m. The pilot, identified as 47-year-old Ryan Comer from Blaine, was the sole occupant of the plane.
Join The Current Pulse on Telegram for the Latest News!
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane went down in the lake, and recovery efforts by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office began. Sheriff Kyle Burton reported that the body of the pilot was successfully recovered from the lake around 10 p.m. Although the plane was submerged in approximately 26 feet of water, authorities managed to retrieve it.
Initial reports indicate that two planes had departed from the Anoka County Municipal Airport around 1 p.m. The pilots had planned to perform a brief water landing on Mille Lacs Lake before continuing to their final destination in Aitkin County.
Unfortunately, one of the planes involved in the expedition crashed into the lake, resulting in the tragic loss of life. The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), is working diligently to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the crash.
In their efforts to gather more information, Sheriff Burton issued a public request on Saturday morning, urging individuals who possess security or ring camera footage of the incident to provide it to the sheriff’s office. The NTSB, responsible for investigating aviation accidents, aims to uncover crucial details surrounding the moments preceding the crash.
Sheriff Burton expressed his gratitude to multiple agencies, including the Mille Lacs Tribal Police, Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office, and St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, for their swift response and assistance on the day of the accident. Boats and rescue teams were deployed to aid in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Both the NTSB and the FAA are actively conducting investigations into the crash, seeking to determine the cause and any contributing factors. As authorities work diligently to uncover the truth, the community of Mille Lacs mourns the loss of life resulting from this devastating plane crash.
