'Lucky' pilot escapes after flipping float plane in Thousand Islands

A pilot was lucky to escape serious injury late Wednesday morning when his float plane crashed on the St. Lawrence River, landing top down in water with only the pontoons visible.
The pilot, identified only as a 68-year-old California resident, landed between Mink and Hambly islands at 11:38 a.m., Leeds and Thousand Islands Fire Chief Rick Lawson said.
He’d landed on the water and was reportedly trying to take off again.
Nearby residents picked him up at the crash scene and sheltered him w