Crews Thursday night recovered the body of a Florida pilot involved in Saturday’s small plane crash in Lake Hartwell.
About 6 p.m. Thursday, the body of Todd Jeffrey Carrell, 55, of North Point, Fla., was removed from the plane and turned over to the Hart County Coroner’s Office.
That’s according to Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland.
The report of the Beech B55 Baron crashing into Lake Hartwell off Old 29 in Hartwell was reported to Hart County Dispatch at 12:42 Saturday afternoon, Sept. 10.
Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, and Fire Department responded and confirmed that a plane was on the bottom of Lake Hartwell in 121 feet of water, Cleveland said.
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management with an underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV), along with the Oconee County Dive Team, both from South Carolina.
“On the second day of diving, we were able to confirm with the ROV and divers that a person was inside the plane,” Cleveland said. “Due to the depth of the water and the plane’s position, divers could not remove the person.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and plane’s insurance company contracted with Atlanta Air Recovery and Bill Roth of Upstate Dock Repair and Dive Specialists from Lake Jocassee to remove the plane from the water, according to Cleveland.
Elbert County Emergency Services specialized units also were involved throughout the rescue.
“Our part of this response was to extricate the pilot from the wreckage after the it was lifted from the extreme depth of Hartwell Lake to a level that would not have interference from underwater obstacles” an Elbert County Emergency Services social media post reads. “Underwater Hurst/jaws of life extrication tools was onsite if and when needed provided to the Hart County authorities. After the aircraft recovery team lifted the plane to a depth and clearance for this operation to occur, two diver teams consisting of two front-line divers and two backup divers were established for a total of eight divers in the water. Our divers located the plane at its stabilized location and were successful in recovering the pilot.”
The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
“This was a unique and challenging incident and a special thanks for out to all agencies involved from Georgia and South Carolina,” Cleveland said. “It was a group effort of all involved in the recovery of Mr. Carrell.”
