A small plane crashed into ice-covered Beards Creek after taking off from Lee Airport in Edgewater this morning.
The Anne Arundel County Fire Department was dispatched to the incident just after 10:30 am on Monday, December 26, 2022. Upon arrival, several neighbors who had witnessed the crash mobilized their kayaks to help rescue the pilot and lone person on board.
ACTIVE: Small Plane has crashed into Beards Creek. One civilian was board has been rescued and is currently being evaluated by medic.
— Anne Arundel County Fire Department (@AACoFD) December 26, 2022
Plane Crash Update: The Pilot is being transported to AAMC with non-life threatening injuries. Fire Dept personnel are assisting several kayakers with warming. Great job by all who responded! pic.twitter.com/P3zrck9Oj3
— Anne Arundel County Fire Department (@AACoFD) December 26, 2022
According to the Maryland State Police, the pilot and sole occupant is identified as Steve Couchman, 71, of Frederick, Maryland. The preliminary investigation indicates that moments after the pilot took off from Lee Airport, the engine of his plane began sputtering.
Two nearby civilians and an on-duty police officer from the Anne Arundel County Police Department who heard the call, used three kayaks to skim across the iced creek to provide assistance to the pilot. While the plane was sinking, the pilot exited his plane and stood on the wing. Once the kayakers were close enough, the pilot was able to hang on to one of them to stay afloat.
Moments later officers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police responded to the scene by boat. Upon their arrival, an officer cut through the ice and pulled the pilot safely into the boat and transported him to the commnity marina for the Annapolis Landing neighborhood where the pilot was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
The plane that crashed was a single-engine 1977 Piper PA-28-151 registered to a cpompany in Kensington, MD. The plane had reached an altitude of 200 feet at 47 knots/per hour (approx 55MPH) prior to crashing. The cause of the crash is unknown and will be deermined by the FAA investigation.
