The small single-engine plane that crashed into a Plano golf course pond on Monday evening is back on dry land.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, was able to walk away without injury after making the emergency landing just yards from nearby homes, fire officials say.
It happened at Prestonwood Country Club – The Hills in West Plano, but, according to club officials, the crash caused no damage to the golf course itself.
The plane was also not carrying a large amount of fuel, so they’ve been reassured there will be little to no environmental impact.
“[The pilot] actually did a great job of getting the plane on the ground,” said Mike Glenn, director of golf at Prestonwood. “Of course, he ran out of land but did an amazing job not to hit anything.”
According to Glenn, the pilot was having engine trouble and was trying to make an emergency landing onto a course fairway. However, windy conditions made that impossible, sending the plane crashing upside-down into the pond on hole two.
“He was afraid he was going to hit our house, God bless the man, so he decided he would ditch it into the lake,” said Darlene Collingsworth, a neighbor who called 911 as her husband talked to the pilot, who managed to swim to safety.
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The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the precise cause of the accident now that the plane has been hauled out of the pond by an independent contractor.
NBC 5's Catherine Ross and Ben Russell contributed to this report.
