Two escape injury when pontoon plane flips on Lake Tahoe

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.

Glenn Lubbe, 45, and his passenger Jeffery Rawson, 51, of Houston, became stranded on the top of their sinking plane about a half-mile from shore after the 10:30 a.m. accident.

The plane's windshield smashed on impact, allowing water to rush into the cockpit. Lubbe freed himself and reached the surface, but Rawson was trapped when his shirt wrapped around the seat belt.

Lubbe dove beneath the surface to free his friend.

Lubbe's brother, Lt. Gregg Lubbe, a helicopter pilot and commander of the Washoe County Sheriff's Aviation Operations Unit, had been called out to rescue the men from the plane, not knowing the victim was his brother.

"By the time I got up in the air, I found out it was my brother and that he was OK," the lieutenant said.

Before Gregg Lubbe could arrive at the scene, a Placer County sheriff's deputy reached the shivering men by boat.

Glenn Lubbe took off from Truckee earlier in the morning on a pleasure flight bound for Incline Village.

Visibility was good as he attempted to land the plane to pick up his wife, who witnessed the crash from shore and called for help on her cell phone.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.