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Firefighter climbs 60-foot tree to rescue stranded pilot

A Piper Cub aircraft, like the one John Gregory reportedly crashed into a tree. Photo: winterseitler/Pixabay

MCCALL, Idaho — An Idaho firefighter climbed a tall tree to rescue a pilot who had crashed his small plane.

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The pilot, 79-year-old John Gregory, called 911 Monday evening and reported his Piper Cub PA-18 aircraft had crashed into some trees, local media reported.

McCall Fire Department crews responded in a snowmobile and were able to locate Gregory. His aircraft was about 60 feet up at the top of a tree.

Firefighter Randy Acker, who owns a hazardous tree removal company, was able to climb the tree, KIVI-TV reported. Once at the top, the firefighter gave Gregory a safety harness, and Gregory was then belayed to the ground.

According to a statement from the McCall Fire Department, the firefighter said retrieving Gregory from the tree “felt like another day at work, climbing and limbing a tree.”