Firefighter: “Another day limbing a tree”

A McCall firefighter scaled a tree at 8:58 p.m. Monday to rescue a pilot who crashed into a tree near Poorman Creek, a few miles outside of McCall on Boulder Lake Road.

McCall Fire-EMS said a 79-year-old pilot called 911 to report he crashed his plane and that it was hung up in trees. Snowmobiles were dispatched to the scene.

McCall firefighters arrived with rope rescue and tree climbing gear. They found a Piper Cub PA-18 aircraft approximately 60 feet up, sitting on top of a tree. They were able to communicate with the pilot. A Life-Flight helicopter was put on standby at the airport because rescue crews felt the rotor wash might dislodge the plane.

According to a news release, “McCall firefighter, Randy Acker, owns and operates a hazardous tree removal company in McCall. He arrived on-scene, assessed the situation with McCall Fire Captain Brandon Swain. Firefighter Acker was comfortable attempting to climb the tree. He made his way to the top, limbing the tree as he went up. Once at the top, he secured the plane with webbing to the tree top and then made contact with the pilot. Acker was able to get a safety harness on the pilot and then the pilot was belayed down the tree to safety. Acker estimated the plane to be 60′ in the air. He stated that the airplane felt remarkably stable in the tree and said that it felt like another day at work, climbing and limbing a tree.”