ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE, Mich. — Two people were safely rescued Monday after a seaplane began taking on water shortly after landing on Orchard Lake, according to police.
The incident happened shortly after 1 p.m. Orchard Lake Police Chief Jeffrey Gomez said the plane landed on the lake and remained on the water for several minutes before one of its floats began taking on water, causing the aircraft to tip.
“There are no injuries reported,” Gomez said. “There were two people on board. They were safely transported back to shore.”
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Gomez said investigators are not treating the incident as a plane crash, but rather as a watercraft incident.
He explained that seaplanes can perform “touch and go” landings, where they briefly touch the water before taking off again, or they can land and remain on the water before taking off.
“I think that was what happened today,” Gomez said.
West Bloomfield police, Orchard Lake police and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Marine Division responded to the scene and helped rescue the two people aboard.
The aircraft is from Michigan Sea Plane, a flight school based in White Lake.
The incident also drew attention from nearby Saint Mary’s High School. Steve Schneider, who works in campus security, said staff members came outside after becoming concerned about what was happening on the lake.
“They came out of the school building. They asked me if I knew what happened," Schneider said.
He said the school has safety boats and he was prepared to respond if someone needed immediate help.
“If there's someone in distress, you don't just stand there, not do anything,” Schneider said.
Authorities asked people to avoid the boat launch while crews continued working at the scene.
Gomez said there was no threat or danger to the public as crews contained the area and evaluated the possibility of a fuel spill.
