Plane crashes on Chowan River
Published 6:19 pm Friday, July 7, 2017
WINTON – The pilot and passenger of a small airplane that crashed Friday afternoon on the Chowan River have apparently escaped serious injury.
Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald that the mishap occurred on the river north of Winton, near the mouth of the Meherrin River, shortly before 4 p.m.
A small plane, based out of Chesapeake, VA, crashed on the Chowan River on Friday afternoon. Photo by Evan Newsome
“The pilot and a passenger were picked up by a boater who was on the river near the crash site,” Hayes stated. “They were apparently taken to shore at which time they were taken to an Urgent Care facility in Suffolk, VA.
Their names were not known, according to Hayes.
“We have been informed that neither the pilot nor the passenger suffered life-threatening injuries,” the Sheriff added.
Hayes said the plane is owned by ProtoCom Aviation LLC in Chesapeake, VA.
“The plane is equipped to land and take-off from a body of water,” Hayes stated. “We’re unsure at this point of what exactly happened to cause the crash.”
Hayes said ProtoCom Aviation is responsible for removing the aircraft from the river. He added that Hertford County Emergency Management was still at the crash site after 5 p.m. on Friday, setting up buoys in the water surrounding the airplane to alert boaters of its presence.
It is not known when the aircraft will be removed.
About Cal Bryant
Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.
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