Miracle as pilot and passenger survive plane nosediving into river
Two people miraculously escaped with minor injuries after their light aircraft crashed into a river.
Horror footage shows the plane flying dangerously low near the Rio Negro in Manaus, Brazil, before suddenly pitching downward and slamming nose-first into the water with a huge splash.
The seaplane had already skimmed the river twice moments earlier, according to eyewitness Fernando Araújo.
He was riding a jet ski when he spotted the aircraft flying unusually low, as if it were about to attempt a third landing on the water.
‘After that, it climbed again, flew on for a short while and tried a manoeuvre, as if turning in to land, but it didn’t manage it,’ Fernando, an architect, told local media.
Fernando was the first person to reach the aircraft – a Super Petrel LS – as it lay half-submerged in the Rio Negro.
As he approached, he realised there were two men on board. The older man, believed to be the pilot, was in a state of shock, while the younger passenger was able to call for help on his phone.
Both men were rescued, given first aid at the scene, and later taken for medical treatment.
The Fire Department said in a statement: ‘On arrival at the scene, the crew found that the two people on board the aircraft had already been rescued by members of the public.’
Firefighters secured the crash site and confirmed there was no immediate explosion risk from leaking fuel.
The exact nature of their injuries remains unclear, although photos circulating online show both men with plasters on their faces, and one with a bandage on his knee.
Fernando later wrote online: ‘Today I witnessed an air accident in the Paricatuba region of Amazonas.
‘We were the first to arrive and were able to help the pilot and passenger, who, by the grace of God, came out of the accident alive.’
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