Four Hospitalized Following The Accident

Four people were hospitalized Thursday after the Lake Renegade amphibious airplane three of the four were aboard went down on takeoff from the seaplane base at AirVenture.

The Northwestern newspaper reports that the accident occurred when the plane attempted to take off from the base, according to the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department. The aircraft reached a speed of just under 70 knots before it went down. One passenger aboard the aircraft managed to get out of the plane, but the pilot and one passenger were trapped inside, according to the report. The fourth person who was injured was a first responder, the paper reported. One person was reportedly released from the hospital Friday morning.

The three people aboard the airplane are from Minnesota, and they were departing to return home when the plane flipped over on takeoff. Authorities said the water on Lake Winnebago where the seaplane base is located was choppy, according to a report from television station WBAY.

Photos show the plane almost completely submerged in the water. Authorities planned to remove the airplane from the lake on Friday.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov