An ultralight aircraft lost power and lodged in the upper branches of a pine tree near a Lundy Lane airstrip Monday night. The plane and two occupants remained stuck 75 feet in the air for four hours before rescue. The men were unhurt.

The plane, piloted by Peter Wallace of Live Oak, took off sometime after 6 p.m. but failed to gain sufficient altitude, according to Suwannee County Sheriff’s reports. Wallace told authorities he turned back toward the airstrip but failed to clear the trees and crashed. Stephen Daws of Tallahassee, a student pilot who owns the plane, was also aboard.

The 400-lb. aircraft and two men were supported by a branch no more than three inches in diameter, said county Safety Director Scott Racow. “I’m thinking, I can’t believe it,” said Racow. “I wouldn’t want to be where they were.”

The men were reportedly none the worse for wear after their experience. Wallace stayed in touch with his wife by cell phone throughout the ordeal.

The plane crashed in a thick wood 300-400 feet from the east end of the airstrip. Getting the men to safety was a group effort. Suwannee County Fire/Rescue and the sheriff’s department responded first. Adam Lundy of Lundy’s Septic brought a backhoe and cleared a path to the scene. Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative brought a bucket truck to the scene and provided the stranded men a rope so they could secure the plane to the tree in case the branch broke. The Wellborn Volunteer Fire Department sent a utility truck to provide lighting as darkness fell. Finally, the Gainesville Fire Department’s Technical Response Team sent its 100-foot aerial platform ladder to pull the men to safety.

“It’s great when you can rely not just on your own community but on surrounding communities,” said Sheriff Tony Cameron.

The plane was described as a “powered parachute” ultralight. A parachute-like wing remains deployed during flight so as to allow for a soft landing in case of engine or mechanical failure. However, the device became tangled in tree branches during the crash and would have been useless had the plane become dislodged from the tree.