BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — A Blackfoot woman received the shock of a lifetime Sunday night, after a soaking wet pilot emerged from the frigid Snake River and knocked on the door of her nearby home moments after his small plane crashed into the water. Bobette Brown, who initially mistook the crash sound for a car accident, says she was stunned when the injured man, soaking wet and shaken, appeared on her doorstep.
“We were sitting in the living room and heard the doorbell ring, and there stands a gentleman who is soaking wet,” Brown explained. “You can tell he’s kind of in shock, and he’s got some scratches on his face, and his hand is bleeding and… he’s very cold and shaken up.”
According to Blackfoot Police, the small single-engine plane went down sometime before 6:05 PM on November 9th. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, successfully swam and struggled his way out of the river and reached Brown’s home. Brown immediately called for help, and the pilot was taken by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Plane Recovery Effort
The Bingham County Sheriff’s office, with assistance from a local wrecker service, began the complicated retrieval process this morning at 10:00 AM, successfully pulling the aircraft from the Snake River.
The pilot’s name and further details regarding the cause of the crash have not been released, pending an investigation by the FAA.
