Local first responders were dispatched to an unusual one recent morning, when a lightweight plane needed to land on Lake Lillinonah.

Fortunately the call had a fairly quick and very good ending.

Newtown Hook & Ladder and Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue (NUSAR) were dispatched around 11:45 am Friday, September 30, to the Town of Newtown boat launch at the end of Hanover Road, after dispatch had been contacted by the pilot of a small plane.

The pilot reported he was in a pontoon plane and running low on fuel, so he was going to land on the water. There were no injuries.

The FAA registry shows the plane was a fixed wing single-engine Icon Aircraft A5. The model is an amphibious light-sport aircraft.

Hook & Ladder Assistant Chief Ray Corbo was joined by Firefighter Jason Rivera in initially responding to the boat launch. The two were able to make contact with the pilot and a female passenger, who both reported they were fine. Corbo served as the officer in command during the incident.

The pilot told the firefighters he had been enjoying “splash and go flying” when he realized how low he was on fuel. He was based in Danbury, he said, and planned to return to that home base once refueling took place.

The pilot had enough fuel to keep the plane idling in the water. He navigated toward the dock at the town boat launch, getting close enough that he could easily communicate with the two firefighters without yelling. With nothing else on the water at that hour, it was a smooth ride for the plane and its two occupants.

Before Hook & Ladder’s boat arrived, a nearby resident with a boat was able to assist. The neighbor, who declined to give his name, drove his boat to the dock where Corbo and Rivera were waiting. He picked up Rivera, and the two transported some of the gas needed to refuel the plane to the waiting pilot and passenger.

Additional Hook & Ladder personnel also arrived, towing the company’s boat, but did not need to utilize the equipment. NUSAR personnel signed on to the call, but were told to remain at their station.

In just a few minutes the plane was refueled. Rivera and the boater cleared from the plane, and it was able to ascend. With a northeast heading, the Icon flew away from the dock and out of the area less than 30 minutes after its unplanned landing.

Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.