Owensboro’s Chase Roberts, CC Web, Kirk Liebert, Joseph Woodard, and Natalie Cummings became instant heroes last Friday after springing into action when they witnessed an aircraft crash into Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County. The group immediately retrieved the pilot from the water and transported him by boat to the shore, where he was flown to a Louisville hospital.
The pilot was participating in Fly-In at the Falls, an ultra-light aircraft event, when he crashed after accidentally flying under power lines. Roberts said the pilot fell nearly 80 feet into the lake and was pinned face down in the aircraft before being rescued.
The superlight flying apparatuses are called paramotors, which are backpack motors that provide thrust to launch a powered paraglider (PPG) pilot into the air.
Roberts was in the water preparing to hydrofoil — a watersport similar to wakeboarding — when the group witnessed the crash roughly 100 yards from their boat. He quickly jumped in the boat and they raced towards the scene, repeatedly honking their horns in hopes that other boats would assist.
“Once we saw and heard the crash, I threw my board in the boat, and the adrenaline took over,” Roberts said. “We knew it wasn’t a joke. It was an emergency. It was very scary. Really, it was scary all night because we didn’t know if he would make it.”
As the group approached, they noticed the pilot was entangled in an assortment of threads that were part of the flying contraption — some were even wrapped around his neck.
Roberts was first in the water, followed by Cummings, then Liebert and Woodard. Woodward said the guys all maneuvered the pilot while Cummings held his head up so they could begin cutting him free. Another boat, captained by Matt Ingram, arrived with a ladder on the front, allowing the group to pull the pilot aboard safely. He also provided dykes, a form of snippets, which made it easier to cut him loose.
“When we pulled up, we could tell he was struggling to keep his head above water,” Woodard said. “He was trying to help himself float, but his only floating device was the air in his gas tank, which kept flipping his head under the water. Thankfully, Natalie was able to remove the harness.”
Roberts said the only thing going through his mind was to get his head above water.
“We had to do that so he could breathe,” Roberts said. “Once we did, he coughed up a lot of water. I tried to assess the situation as best as I could, but it was a lot more doing than thinking at that point.”
According to Roberts, the pilot sustained a collapsed lung and concussion but no broken bones from the crash. Hearing that he would survive brought a huge sigh of relief to the group, who feared that might not be the case based on the traumatic encounter and ensuing interviews with law enforcement.
“He was very fortunate,” Roberts said. “Several things had to fall into place. We were one of only a few boats on the lake that evening. Then, the other boat showed up and had dykes, which is essentially the only thing that will cut nylon. (The pilot) was supposed to be in a coma for a week, but he came out of it quickly and was drinking liquids by Sunday.”
Roberts said the pilot will likely be released from the hospital on Thursday and has expressed an interest in meeting the entire group. The organizer of Fly-In at the Falls is also working on a special reunion.
“We didn’t do it for any kind of fame,” Roberts said. “We just want to meet the individual, shake his hand, and check on him.”
