Officer Dives Into Curlew Pond to Save Fallen Pilot – Body‑Cam Footage Reveals a Harrowing Rescue

On a quiet July afternoon in 2024, a small fixed‑wing plane made a sudden, tragic descent into Curlew Pond, a shallow body of water tucked away in Myles Standish State Park near Plymouth, Massachusetts. The aircraft, a single‑engine light plane, crashed just off Rocky Pond Road, overturning and sinking to the bottom of the pond.

Inside the cockpit was 81‑year‑old pilot Richard Carrara, who was attempting to return to Plymouth Municipal Airport. When the plane hit the water, it burst open – the windshield shattered – and the cabin filled with cold water within seconds.

Police were on the scene within minutes, and the department promptly released body‑camera footage that captures the raw urgency of the rescue. In the video, an officer can be heard shouting into his radio, "There is somebody in the plane, but they can't get out. I am making my way there now. I am going in the water." He sprints toward the edge, drops his gear, and plunges into the chilly pond.

At the same time, a few good‑Samaritans who had been paddling nearby in kayaks instinctively turned toward the crash site. Their oars sliced through the water as they closed the 20‑foot gap between shore and the floating wreckage. Together, the officer, fire‑fighters, and bystanders formed a makeshift human chain, pulling at the aircraft in a desperate attempt to right it and reach the cockpit.

"A bunch of people converged and tried to drag the plane to shore, but we couldn't get it flipped over," said John Gurney, one of the rescuers. "The windshield had blown out when it landed. It was full of water. He was under there for quite a while. You feel helpless, you don't know what state they're in. You just do what you can and hope for the best."

Despite their concerted effort, the aircraft remained stubbornly upside‑down, and the rescue team could not open the door in time. CPR was administered on the scene, but Carrara was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

James Campbell, a local who first heard the engine sputtering, recalled, "I was just sitting there and saw the plane come back around and didn't hear anything, and then it nosedived into Curlew Pond." Officials confirmed the pilot had been on a return leg to Plymouth Municipal Airport when the accident occurred.

Curlew Pond itself is relatively shallow, averaging 13 feet deep with a maximum depth of about 33 feet, according to state records. The water's temperature that early August morning was brisk, adding another layer of difficulty for the rescuers.

While the tragic outcome weighs heavily on the community, the footage underscores the bravery and quick thinking of the first responders and everyday citizens who rushed into the water without a second thought. Their actions, captured in stark, unfiltered detail, remind us that even in the face of sudden disaster, the instinct to help remains a powerful force.