Couple Bravely Rescued After Plane Crash
Feb 7, 2007 08:54 AM
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Boise, Idaho -- A Nampa couple is recovering at home tonight, after their plane went down over the weekend in the remote and icy waters of the Owyhee Reservoir.

Affectionately called "Owyhee International" by back country pilots like Pete Morgan, this remote airstrip looks more like a sand bar alongside the reservoir than a place to land a plane.

"Some people find it on a map and think, 'Oh, this looks like an interesting place, lets try landing there.' It has water off both ends, so if you have engine trouble or something like that you're going to be swimming," said Morgan.

On Sunday afternoon, Bill and Julene Dodd landed a Piper Tomahawk like this one, at the popular strip. A move that, given the limitations of their aircraft, Morgan says may have set their fate in motion.

"It's a short runway, and it runs uphill to the center and back down the other direction. It's definitely a very short runway, and the type of aircraft they were flying is not known for having a lot of power. It's kind of an under-powered aircraft," said Morgan.

Craig Paulson and his friend, Randy Fisk, were standing at the north end of the airstrip. Paulson describes watching as the plane failed to gain speed as it headed down the runway.

"He just disappeared. If you've ever been at that airstrip there's a hump in the middle and you can't see the other end very well, so when he went over the hump and we didn't see him again, and we didn't see him raise up either, so I was pretty sure that he'd gone in the water," said Paulson.

They ran the full length of the runway when they realized the plane had crashed into the water. Fisk headed onto the thin ice to help the couple out of the freezing water, and Paulson says he took flight to call for help with the radio.

"By the time I landed, Randy had gotten down there with that stick and pulled them out of the water, and had them over to the bank. They were getting their clothes off and I happened to have some wool blankets in my airplane so we wrapped them up in that," said Paulson.

Paulson says the couple was in shock but uninjured, and really kept their heads together to get out of the plane and swim some 70 feet toward the ice's edge.

"They did a good job," he said. "They climbed out of the plane and used their strength to get up on the ice. They did some praying and I think they had a little divine intervention."

The Malheur County Sheriff's Department attempted a water rescue with their boats, but had to turn back when they ran into ice.

Bystanders rescue couple after crash
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 6:41 AM EST
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Public safety: After plane plunges into icy waters of Lake Owyhee, two Canyon men scramble to save lives

By Andrew Van Dam - Idaho Press-Tribune

MALHEUR COUNTY, Ore. — As he watched the Piper Tomahawk disappear over the cliff and plunge 50 feet into icy Lake Owyhee on Sunday, Craig Paulsen knew the outcome “wasn’t going to be good.”
“I figured they’d be dead when we got over ... to where they went in the water,” the 49-year-old Wilder resident said.

“I just prayed that nobody was hurt and they’d be able to get out OK; I had no idea what to expect once I got out there,” his companion Randy Fisk, a 48-year-old Caldwell man, said.

<img src="http://www.idahopress.com/content/articles/2007/02/06/news/news1.jpg" align="left">When they first caught sight of the small airplane sinking into a hole in the ice, they were relieved to see that the couple inside had opened the top hatch and climbed out on the wing of the plane.
But the plane sank, forcing the Nampa couple inside, Bill and Julene Dodd, to swim in the frigid reservoir, largely covered by a layer of ice.

Paulsen immediately took his plane into the air to broadcast a distress signal. The backcountry airstrip, set on a peninsula on the Oregon side of the reservoir, lies miles from the nearest emergency services.

Recognizing the couple’s plight, Fisk ran down the steep bank and grabbed a large branch. He said he then stepped out on the ice, breaking through until he reached ice strong enough to support his weight. He was followed onto the ice by a man identified as a friend of the Dodds who piloted another plane.
Kerri Fisk, 42, watched her husband pick his way across the thin ice to the spot where the plane had crashed, 50 yards from the shore.

“I was wondering if I was going to be a widow,” she said later.

As the ice creaked and groaned beneath them, the stranded couple used cushions tossed to them from another plane as flotation aids, though they were not intended for that purpose, Paulsen said.
While the Dodds struggled in 38-degree water, Randy Fisk fought to get the branch across the unstable ice to a place where the Dodds could grip it.

According to Kerri Fisk, the Dodds’ hands were freezing and they had trouble gripping the branch. At several points, she said, it appeared they were unsure they would survive the ordeal.

Eventually, with the help of Randy Fisk and the Dodds’ friend, Julene Dodd managed to scramble onto firm ice as her husband clung to her leg. From there, the rescuers were able to bring Bill Dodd to safety as well.
Randy Fisk estimated the entire rescue took between 10 and 15 minutes.

“I really admired them,” Randy Fisk said of the Dodds, adding, “It would have been so easy (to give up.)”

The rescuers helped provide first aid the couple and waited for emergency services. Their response was delayed because, according to Paulsen, they attempted to cross the frozen reservoir by boat. After waiting about half an hour, Paulsen asked the Fisks to wait by the airstrip while he flew the Dodds to Nampa, where they went to a hospital.
There, Paulsen said, they were treated for hypothermia, shock and minor injuries.

Both Paulsen and Randy Fisk said they do not deserve to be called heroes.

“We were just doing what anybody else would do,” Paulsen said.
“I’m not a hero, I just happened to be there,” Randy Fisk added. “I’m just glad it worked out.”

Paulsen, who said he dreamed of a plane crash a few nights ago, took the Fisks out that day because he wanted to do something nice for them. Kerri Fisk, the athletic director for Greenleaf Friends Academy, coaches his daughter.

zane wrote:Eric you really gotta work on getting high speed internet, you caveman. ................................

zero.one.victor wrote: As for you,Zane, you need to work on your sensitivity. Haven't you seen the Geico ads on TV where the punchline is "so easy even a caveman can do it?".... and the caveman's feelings are hurt?

jmtgt wrote:Eric you ROCK!!! When the power goes out you will be the one leading the way!!