雅虎香港電視

Pilot David Lesh and a female passenger were rescued dramatically by a Coast Guard helicopter after the plane Lesh was piloting crashed into Half Moon Bay, off the California coast, on Tuesday, August 20.

A Coast Guard helicopter responded to the scene after being contacted by passengers on a second plane who witnessed the crash. Lesh captured the pair’s rescue from the water, and shot further footage as he and the woman made it back to dry land.

Lesh also denied claims the incident was staged. “I’ve heard some rumors [it was staged],” said Lesh to KPIX5. “I’ve heard that I did this as a publicity stunt…No, it’s not true, for many reasons. One, I just bought this brand new airplane. It was my pride and joy on its first maiden voyage. I put a ton of money into it in the last 2 1/2 months making it exactly the airplane that I wanted. It’s actually insured for less than the actual value of the plane.”

Lesh reaffirmed his denial to Storyful, saying the incident “obviously wasn’t staged.”

Lesh, a skier with a history of social media stunts, has had run-ins with authorities in the past; in July, as reported in The Aspen Times, the US Forest Service opened an investigation into a case of two men snowmobiling in a protected area. Lesh shared images on social media showing him riding a snowmobile in the area.

Boulder County Jail records also show Lesh was arrested on June 30, 2014, and charged with second-degree arson.

A Coast Guard statement confirmed it had responded to the scene. “The second pilot’s quick response to report the downed plane and remain on scene greatly aided the Coast Guard’s prompt response and ability to save two lives,” said Lt Cmdr Joshua Murphy, the pilot of the rescue chopper.

At the end of this footage, shot by Lesh, the rescued man says, “Here’s our saviors! Thanks, guys!” as he pans to show the coast guard team. Credit: David Lesh via Storyful