1940s plane crashes into Hiwassee River, pilot uninjured

Arkansas-LSU Live Blog

Meigs County officials spent hours on Sunday evening trying to pull a light aircraft from the Hiwassee River after a crash.

The process involves slipping bags under the plane and inflating them, then floating the craft to shore, where it can be loaded onto a trailer like a boat, explained Meigs County Emergency Service Manager Tony Finnell.

The crash occurred near Highway 60 near the Meigs-Hamilton county line shortly after 5 p.m., and late in the evening the plane was still under several feet of water, Finnell said. The job may have to be finished Monday morning, he said.

The plane was a 1946 Globe Swift and, at the time of the crash, only pilot Andy Montgomery of Rhea County was onboard. He was uninjured, Finnell said.

"The pilot claimed that he had some sort of mechanical problem," Finnell said.

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