Cessna Pilot Crash Lands into Eastern Idaho River

REXBURG, Idaho (AP) — Police in eastern Idaho say a aircraft pilot is lucky to be alive after he crash-landed a Cessna into the swollen Teton River.

Rexburg Police Lt. Ron Ball told the Rexburg Standard Journal that the pilot was the only occupant in the Saturday morning crash landing.

Police did not release the pilot's name. Ball said the man was lucky that he didn't drown in the river, which is near flood levels.

The crash occurred when the Cessna's engine stalled, sending the aircraft into a field and then the river before it was stopped by some willow trees. Ball said the pilot had only minor injuries and was able to get out of the airplane before it filled up with water, and nearby farmworkers helped him to the shore.

Farm equipment was used to pull the plane from the river, and Ball said the aircraft will be examined by the Federal Aviation Administration as they investigate the crash.