Rescuers airlifted a small plane pilot to safety Sunday afternoon, November 8, 2026, after he pulled off an emergency landing deep in Estero Bay Preserve. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says deputies rushed out a little after 1 p.m., only to find the floatplane stopped in the middle of a landlocked stretch, impossible to reach by road or water.
With the area boxed in, the Sheriff’s Aviation unit stepped in. They hoisted the pilot, who’d been flying solo, straight out of the preserve and flew him to safety. He escaped without injury.
Remarkably, this marks the second emergency landing in Lee County in just two days. The day before, another pilot landed a small plane right on a North Fort Myers road.
The Federal Aviation Administration has picked up the investigation.
