Small plane crashes into a pond near the Quabbin Reservoir

A plane that crashed into a pond near the Quabbin Reservoir in New Salem on Friday was removed from the water on Sunday, authorities said. 

Emergency crews were called to the Quabbin Reservoir around 7:40 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from New Salem Fire Chief Matt O’Donnell. A witness reported a person in the O’Loughlin Regulating Pond was calling for help. 

Firefighters maintained voice and visual contact with the pilot. A state trooper, outfitted with a personal flotation device and a tether line, reached the adult male pilot and rescued him from the water, O’Donnell said. 

The pilot, whose identity has not been released, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, O’Donnell said. 

Authorities believe he was the sole occupant of the plane. 

The plane remained fully submerged after the rescue, O’Donnell said. 

Around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority announced the plane had been successfully removed from the pond. 

MWRA officials confirmed that no fuel spilled during the extraction, and initial water screening and sampling results showed no contamination to the pond or reservoir. 

Authorities do not have any additional information regarding the pilot’s current condition, O’Donnell told Boston.com Monday.

“Teamwork is crucial in emergency response, and the Town of New Salem would like to thank our partners and the organizations which assisted in the response and recovery,” he said.

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