Plane lands on ice, breaks through on Upper Red Lake

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s office has reported that a plane broke through the ice after landing on Upper Red Lake Tuesday morning.

The two occupants of the Cessna 172 Sky Hawk became wet from the waist down, but were able to safely exit the plane and make it to shore.

“The plane had departed from Grand Rapids, MN with a destination of Upper Red Lake for a day of ice fishing,” explained Sheriff Jason Riggs. “After conducting a flyover, the pilot identified what was believed to be a safe landing area. Upon landing, the absence of snow resulted in the plane having difficulty slowing down. Eventually the plane slide into an area of thin ice and the nose of the plane broke through into open water.”

The Sheriff’s Office states that there was only two inches of ice where the plane went through.

Arrangements have been made to remove the airplane.