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This article was published 28/05/2015 (2923 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A quick-thinking pilot trained in escaping submerged aircraft helped three men survive after their float plane flipped on a remote Manitoba lake during the weekend.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP Corp. Richard Young said Wednesday the three men suffered minor hypothermia after spending a night huddled by a campfire after swimming to shore, but were otherwise unhurt. “Obviously they are very lucky individuals,” Young said.

The officer said the investigation is continuing and the names of the three are not being released. “I believe they are local residents living in the area,” he said. “I’m not sure what their purpose was when they flew that day.”

RCMP said the men were reported missing Saturday night after they failed to return from a daylong trip to the lakes north of Bissett in eastern Manitoba.

The men flew out of Lac du Bonnet at about 8 a.m., and were supposed to return by about 6 p.m. When they didn’t return by 9:30 p.m., RCMP were called.

The RCMP contacted the Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which sent a Hercules search plane Sunday at about 4 a.m. About 90 minutes later, the search crew found the plane upside down in Bushey Lake, about 65 kilometres northeast of Lac du Bonnet.

The Hercules circled overhead until a float plane chartered from Blue Water Aviation arrived to pick up the men and transport them to Bissett.

Eric Vermette, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s regional senior investigator, said the organization will not launch a full investigation.

“A float plane, a Cessna 180, was taking off on Bushey Lake,” Vermette said.

“The wind raised substantially and the left wing raised, and the right wing touched the water,” causing the plane to spin and flip.

‘Obviously they are very lucky individuals’ — Lac du Bonnet RCMP Corp. Richard Young

Vermette credited the pilot’s underwater egress training for helping everyone escape the plane. “It is a critical, stressful time when you’re upside down in water. When you do it in a pool in a controlled manner it reduces the stress when you have to do it for real.”

Vermette said all three were wearing personal flotation devices.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca