A plane that crashed in Lake St. John has finally been recovered.

Crews spent the better part of Monday hooking the wreckage up to large balloons to float the plane to the surface. Once there, it was towed back to shore and hooked up to a large crane.

“It didn't look as bad in the water as it does now,” says Dylan McKee, one of people who rescued the occupants of the plane. “It's just upsetting to see. I'm extremely happy they survived that.”

The small plane crashed into Lake St. John near the Orillia Lake St. John Airport on Wednesday. The crash seriously injured two people in the process.

One of the two men injured is a 25 year veteran firefighter with Ramara Township.

“He is in intensive care. He's had several operations, but he is in recovery mode, so to speak,” says fire chief Dave McCarthy. “It's just surprising how badly damaged it was. He's very lucky.”

The firefighter is also a flying instructor. The Transportation Safety Board says he was flying with a student at the time.

The pair was rescued by witnesses who saw the plane go down. They rushed to the crash in boats and brought the men back to shore.

It’s still unclear what caused the plane to crash. The TSB says they have spoken with the student, but is waiting until the instructor has recovered more before they talk to him.

In the meantime, the TSB plans to start their investigation into the cause on Tuesday.