A microlight aircraft crashed into Lake Bütgenbach in eastern Belgium shortly before 19:00 on Friday, 25 September. Both occupants escaped from the enclosed cabin before the aircraft sank. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
The 20-year-old passenger reached a buoy, while a fisherman on the lake rescued the 71-year-old pilot. Emergency services took both by helicopter to a hospital in Liège. The passenger was discharged on Friday evening, and the pilot was expected to leave hospital on Saturday.
The aircraft had taken off from an airfield in nearby Büllingen. Witnesses reported seeing it fly low over the lake before it turned left and struck the water between Berger Strand and the Worriken leisure park.
The wreckage sank to the bottom of the lake. Its recovery is planned for next week.
Source: GrenzEcho