He's been flying a small plane for decades, but a Haliburton-area pilot says he's lucky to be alive after what happened yesterday.
“I was hanging on for dear life,” says Don Shortreed, who is counting his blessings after his single engine plane went through the ice yesterday.
The 80-year-old pilot had just landed on Little Trading Bay and was taxiing in when the ice gave way.
“I hit a soft spot in the ice and went through, which wasn't there an hour ago,” he says.
As the plane quickly started to submerge, Shortreed managed to escape. But getting to shore was impossible.
“I just tried to get to the good ice but I couldn't so I went back to the plane and I was under the wing as it started sinking,” he says.
For nearly 30 minutes, Shortreed held onto the wing, trying to stay above water. His son George was driving down the road when he spotted the plane’s tail sticking up in the air. Using a pull rope and a snowmobile, George was able pull his father out of the water and away from the sinking plane.
“My son saved my life for sure because I was just about beat,” says Shortreed.
Shortreed had to be treated for minor hypothermia. OPP say he is extremely lucky.
“The results could have easily been tragic,” says Const. Paul Potter. “We could have been dealing with a fatality and we're certainly glad we're not.”
For nearly a month now police have be warning people to stay off the ice.
Today there are fresh open pockets of water on the bay and though the ice can still be thick in some areas, right now police say it’s deceiving.
Looking back, Don, who is also a volunteer firefighter, says it was totally unexpected but admits he shouldn't have been on the ice this late in the year.
“I guess you'd say it wasn't a smart move,” he says.
Police say with thaw, stay off the ice because conditions are becoming unpredictable and are changing by the hour.
