Update: Plane Crashes into Mille Lacs Lake During Water Landing

Update 7/1/23: The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the pilot that died after his airplane crashed into Mille Lacs Lake yesterday.

Ryan Comer, 47, of Blaine, MN was the pilot of an ICON A5 amphibious aircraft that went into the lake on Friday during an attempted water landing. The Sheriff’s Office says the wreckage of the plane was brought to a secure garage early this morning for further investigation.

Original Story: A floatplane crashed into Mille Lacs Lake after an attempted water landing today.

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office reports that two planes took off from the Anoka airport around 1 this afternoon and flew to Mille Lacs Lake, where they were going to make brief water landings before traveling to Aitkin County. One plane made a successful landing, but the other went into the lake near Kathio Township.

Authorities say the plane that crashed is in about 26 feet of water. They believe that the pilot, the lone occupant, was still inside it.

The Sheriff’s Office says the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified. More information will be released at a later time.