A couple from Princeton was in a single-engine plane that crashed into the Mississippi River in Anoka Friday evening, according to the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.
Jill Marie Rygwall, 48, was found Friday night and pulled from the water by witnesses. Resuscitation efforts failed and Rygwall was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, believed to be the pilot, has not been found or identified, the sheriff’s office said Saturday. The couple has a 13-year-old son who is currently in the custody of his grandparents.
Police responded to a call around 5:30 Friday night about a plane down two miles northwest of the Ferry Street bridge over the Mississippi. Witnesses reported the plane had hit a power line before going down into the Mississippi. There were no indications of mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the crash, according to the sheriff’s office.
The plane took off from the Princeton Airport Friday afternoon, but because the airport is unregulated, the sheriff’s office does not know the exact time of takeoff or the destination.
Recovery efforts have been limited by the high water level and extreme current conditions, the sheriff’s office said. Divers arrived to help, but reported it was unsafe for them to enter the water. Sonar equipment was used to locate the fuselage and one wing of the plane.
“Rescue efforts are really being hampered by the fast current. The location of the wreckage is in about 12 feet of water, so that hampers the efforts as well. It’s not shallow,” Anoka County Lieutenant Brent Erickson said Saturday.
Erickson said the recovery efforts may last several days.