US Coast Guard crew rescues man from downed plane in Savannah River

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station crew rescued a man from a downed plane in the Savannah River on Saturday, an agency spokesperson said.

Savannah Air Traffic Control alerted about a downed aircraft in the river around 11 a.m. so a Coast Guard helicopter from the Savannah air station that was “already in the air diverted to the scene” and arrived within 10 minutes, Petty Officer 1st Class David Micallef said.

“They hoisted a single man up to the helicopter and transported him to the Savannah airport,” he said.

EMS was standing by at the airport but it did not appear that the man sustained any injuries.

This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 12:51 PM.

Lana Ferguson

The Island Packet

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Lana Ferguson typically covers stories in northern Beaufort County, Jasper County and Hampton County. She joined The Island Packet & Beaufort Gazette in 2018 as a crime/breaking news reporter. Before coming to the Lowcountry, she worked for publications in her home state of Virginia and graduated from the University of Mississippi, where she was editor-in-chief of the daily student newspaper. Lana was also a fellow at the University of South Carolina’s Media Law School in 2019. Support my work with a digital subscription