Off-duty police officer pulls pilot from lake crash

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    Meredith Bay, NH (WMUR) — A 78-year-old man suffered minor injuries when the ultralight aircraft he was piloting crashed in Meredith Bay on Sunday afternoon and then sank in 65 feet of water, officials said.

The crash happened just after 3 p.m. across from Grouse Point, Marine Patrol said.

The aircraft was about 1,000 feet above the bay when the engine failed. The pilot decided to crash-land the aircraft in the bay, said Meredith Deputy Fire Chief Andre Kloetz, who credited the pilot’s effort.

The pilot was identified as David Grapes of Center Harbor.

The aircraft began to sink shortly after it crashed-landed, but Grapes made it out before then. Several boaters rushed to the pilot’s aid, including an off-duty Stoneham, Massachusetts, police officer who pulled him from the water and took him on his boat.

The off-duty officer, Joe Ponzo, brought Grapes to shore, where he was taken by ambulance to Lakes Region General Hospital.

“Another bystander that was on a boat that was next to me was able to get a life jacket on him,” Ponzo said. “So, I was able to grab the life jacket and get the guy up on the boat. We had him on the back of the boat, my wife was just comforting him because he was in complete shock.”

Salvage divers will recover the sunken aircraft later this week, Kloetz said.

The FAA has been notified of the crash.

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