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Pilot, passenger uninjured in plane crash near Hellgate Canyon By Mail Tribune staff Updated: May 31, 2022 03:44 PM A A Thanks in part to a rafting outfitter conducting rescue training in the area nearby, a pilot and passenger have survived a plane crash into the Rogue River in Josephine County. At about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, a single-engine aircraft reportedly started having engine trouble about hellgate Canyon and glided to smooth waters above Ennis Riffle near Galice road, according to releases from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. Local rafting outfitter OARS, happened to be conducting water training nearby and “jumped into action,” according to a release from Rural-Metro Fire. The raft team helped secure the plane to a riverbank, then shuttled the occupants over to a nearby boat ramp to wait for rescuers. Both occupants claimed they were not injured in the crash, and were later cleared by first-responders in medical evaluations on shore. Pollution was handled thanks to a private boat operator nearby, according to the fire department, who deployed absorbent booms and pads downstream and captured “what minimal fluid leaks might come from the wreckage.” “A number of agencies and good Samaritans were involved in this event that emergency crews wish to extend appreciation,” Rural Metro Fire stated on an official Facebook post about the crash. The sheriff’s office has contacted the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration for follow-up investigation into the crash,