Stunt Plane Makes Insane Emergency Landing In Lake

This video shows the dramatic moment a stunt plane makes an emergency landing on a large body of water. The reasons behind the emergency landing - be they mechanical or otherwise - are not clear; however the footage is stunning.Show more

The smoke trailing the plane may not be an indicator of mechanical failure, simply because stunt planes often emit smoke for added visual effect. Imagine how terrifying it must have been for this pilot to realize he was going to have to bring his plane down on a lake! An emergency landing is never fun, and certainly requires skill. Only briefly do we hear the plane's engine and see the plane in the air before we see it drop quickly and collide with the water.

The sound of the water impact is delayed, due to the distance between the camera and the plane. One can imagine that the initial impact, followed by several more impacts, were rough on the plane and pilot. It's amazing that the plane did not disintegrate upon impact, as water generates tremendous drag and other forces on the stunt plane's structure.

Stunt planes travel at high speeds, and are not designed for lift at slower speeds, which unfortunately means the plane hit the water at high speed. The plane skids across the water much like a skipping stone, before stopping. After the plane comes to rest, we see the pilot emerge from the plane. At this point one can imagine the pilot is happy to be alive, only to find his plane is sinking beneath him and he's far from shore.

As the plane slowly submerges, we see a rescue boat approach the pilot and downed aircraft. It looks as though the rescue vessel passes by the pilot, perhaps on accident, and the pilot can be seen swimming toward the rescue boat. Initially, onlookers sound very concerned, but as the situation calms down, onlookers are heard applauding and cheering, obviously relieved that the pilot is okay.

The season during which this footage was taken is not clear, although snow is visible in the distance. We can imagine the risk to the pilot's health is increased if the water is cold, particularly in winter. How fortunate that somebody was filming and managed to capture the drama as it unfolded. This lucky pilot lives to fly again, and hopefully his plane can be recovered from the watery depths, and salvaged.