Pilot Survives Overnight After Plane Crash in Southern Indiana Woods

Photo Courtesy of the Indiana State Police

Written from press release

ORANGE COUNTY, Ind. — October 5, 2025

A pilot was rescued early Sunday morning after his single-engine plane crashed overnight in a heavily wooded area near the Orange–Lawrence County line, according to the Indiana State Police.

At around 10 p.m. Saturday, the FAA and Louisville Airport officials alerted Indiana State Police to a possible downed aircraft in southern Indiana. The missing plane, a Lancair fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, had reportedly gone off radar in a rural area surrounded by dense woods and steep hills.

Troopers from the Jasper and Bloomington districts, along with multiple county agencies, searched through the night for the wreckage. Shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday, first responders located the crashed aircraft near Old Vincennes Road in Orange County.

The pilot, who has not yet been publicly identified, was found alive inside the wreckage and suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. Rescuers carried him out on a stretcher due to the challenging terrain before transporting him for medical treatment.

“This rescue was only possible because of the coordinated effort of everyone involved,” said Sgt. John Davis, the Indiana State Police Jasper District’s public information officer.

Agencies responding to the search and rescue included troopers Noah Ewing, Sam Wagner, Mackenzi Alexander, Blake Leary, and Logan McDowell, along with members of the Lawrence, Martin, and Orange County sheriff’s offices, EMS, and fire departments.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified and will take over the crash investigation.

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