Three people and dozens of shelter dogs were rescued after a plane crash landed on a snowy golf course.
A twin engine aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the Western Lakes Golf Course in Pewaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday morning. First responders said the plane lost both of its wings as it descended onto the green of Hole 3.
A total of 56 rescue dogs from Alabama and Louisiana were onboard the plane transporting them to the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) in Waukesha.
Rescuers were able to recover all of the dogs and humans safely with few injuries.
‘What could have been a devastating tragedy has turned into a story of community spirit and teamwork,’ HAWS told Metro.co.uk. ‘We are just amazed!’
‘This was a relatively catastrophic landing where they went through trees,’ Lake Country Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Haerter told WTMJ Milwaukee. ‘The pilot and the copilot did an amazing job getting this aircraft on the ground the way that they did.’
‘The flight was bringing at-risk adoptable dogs from southern shelters to HAWS and several partner shelters,’ the organizations stated.
The three human pilots onboard were able to escape the wreckage safely, Lake Country Fire Rescue said. Firefighters then got to work rescuing the dogs.
They were joined by about three dozen HAWS employees, volunteers, and staff at the golf course. The community was able to safely rescue each dog on the flight.
‘Our on-staff veterinarians triaged all of the dogs and found only minor scrapes and bumps,’ the organization told Metro.co.uk. ‘It seemed as though the dogs recovered very quickly and were wagging tails and licking faces right away!’
Additionally, about 300 gallons of jet fuel spilled out of the descending plane. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources responded to the spill and will be coordinating cleanup efforts in the area.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the cause of the crash.
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