Plane Goes Through Thin Ice on Upper Red Lake After Landing

Credit: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office

No injuries were reported when a small plane that landed on Upper Red Lake Tuesday morning slide into an area of thin ice, where the nose of the plane broke through into open water.

According to Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs, the plane departed from Grand Rapids with a destination of Upper Red Lake for a day of ice fishing. But when it landed just before 9:30 a.m., it had difficulty slowing down due to the absence of snow.

The plane slid into the the thin ice area, where the nose broke through an estimated one to two inches of ice. Both occupants became wet from the waist down due to the plane breaking through into the water, but they were able to make it out and were assisted to shore for dry clothing.

Riggs said the pilot has made contact with a recovery operation to extricate the plane and that the pilot must notify Beltrami County when that is complete.