Wreckage of a plane discovered in Bluffton’s May River could be from 2010 crash

Wreckage of a small plane was discovered Friday in the May River, likely from a crash that happened nearly eight years ago, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Fred Mix of Bluffton was boating on the river about two months ago when he noticed something unusual on his sonar device just east of Palmetto Bluff.

The owner of Southeast Yacht Sales said he was looking for shrimp at the bottom of the river when he saw a shape that resembled an airplane pop up on the screen.

Although it sparked his curiosity, it wasn’t until this week that Mix was able to do some more investigating.

On Friday, he and his friend Mike Majer, who works as a commercial diver, returned to the scene.

With Majer’s ability to dive to the bottom, the pair were able to confirm that there was, in fact, a plane stuck in the mud about 30 feet below.

Majer pulled up multiple pieces of wreckage, including a rolled up “valise,” according to Mix.

The pair then alerted the sheriff’s office so the wreckage could be investigated.

Capt. Bob Bromage, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said Friday evening that the crash site “appears to be consistent with a plane that went down Nov. 20, 2010 sometime around 8 p.m.”

The pilot in that crash, an adult male, was the sole occupant of the Cessna 172 plane. He swam ashore safely after the crash, according to Bromage.

“There does not appear to be any danger to the public in the waterway,” Bromage said.

At this time there is no plan to remove the wreckage.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 6:10 PM.