A Maine man was injured Tuesday when the 1965 Cessna 172 plane he was piloting lost power and was forced to make an emergency landing in an Aroostook County lake.

Maine State Police responded to a call shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, and eventually found the crash site in Brackett Lake in Weston. Police say the pilot, 58-year-old Greg Lizotte of Houlton, was able to escape the plane with minor injuries and swim to shore.

Lizotte was alone in the plane. Police say Lizotte had flown to Princeton with Terry Beals, 64, of Houlton, to pick up a second plane and fly it back to Houlton. Lizotte made the emergency landing when the plane lost power, police said.

The crash, initially believed to be in East Grand Lake, was found by Trooper Nick Casavant and several Maine Game Wardens.

The Federal Aviation Administration, National Traffic Safety Board and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection are investigating the crash and are working together to remove the submerged plane as soon as practical, according to police.

The plane is owned by Carol Warren of New Hampshire.

 

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