Pilot's Body Recovered Days After Plane Crashes Into Lake Hartwell

HART COUNTY, GA — The body of a Florida man was recovered Thursday, several days after his plane crashed and settled at the bottom of Lake Hartwell, according to police.

The body of Todd Jeffrey Carrell, 55, of North Port, was removed from the plane about 6 p.m. Thursday, five days after the aircraft he was piloting flew into the lake bordering Georgia and South Carolina at about 12:45 p.m. Saturday, police said.

“This was a unique and challenging incident and a special thanks go out to all agencies involved from Georgia and South Carolina,” Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said in a news release.

Carrell was piloting a single-engine Beechcraft B55 and was the only person on board when it crashed into the lake, near Anderson Regional Airport in Anderson, South Carolina, according to authorities. The plane came to rest 121 feet below the water line, and, through the use of divers and a remote operated vehicle, emergency responders confirmed that a person was inside the plane, police said.

“Due to the depth of the water and the plane’s position, divers could not remove the person,” Cleveland said.

Contractors were eventually hired to retrieve the aircraft from the water, according to police, who said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.