‘It’s a very small plane and a very big river,’ sheriff says.

A Vicksburg husband and wife didn’t walk, but swam away, after the plane they were flying splashed into the Mississippi River Sunday afternoon.

The mishap occurred at about 3:30, when pilot Dan Fordice was attempting to land his SeaRey, an amphibious aircraft, in the water. Fordice didn’t realize his landing gear had not been retracted, which would have allowed the plane to ski to a stop on its pontoon-shaped belly. Instead, the plane flipped after contact with the water, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

&#8220I landed it in the water with the wheels down,” Fordice said. &#8220It was a pilot error.”

It was also the first time Fordice’s wife, Ann Claire, had flown with him in the plane. They were sightseeing, having taken off from Vicksburg Tallulah Regional about 10 miles to the northwest of the impact site.

The plane came down just south of the LeTourneau river plant, about 100 feet from the Mississippi River bank, Pace said.

&#8220They were strapped in upside down,” after the plane flipped, Pace said. &#8220They got the seat belts off, were able to get the doors open and get out of the plane. They climbed on top – which was actually the bottom – of the plane and floated for a while.”

Fordice said they eventually swam to LeTourneau Landing, where employees helped them get dry and checked him for injuries. He also called the sheriff.

Pace, his officers and officers with the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks had the Warren County Sheriff’s Department boat in the water by 4 p.m., searching for the plane. Dan Fordice, with bandages on his head, went with them. His wife went home.

&#8220Our intentions were to secure the plane to the bank,” Pace said.

They searched for two hours, while a volunteer from the Vicksburg-Tallulah Airport also flew over the area trying to spot it from the air. They never found the aircraft.

&#8220It’s a very small plane and a very big river,” Pace said. &#8220We searched until the sun went down. We never spotted anything. We can only assume that it sank shortly after the Fordices swam away.”

Pace said, in his 27 years of law enforcement, he has never heard of a plane crashing into the Mississippi River and never heard of anyone surviving a crash.

&#8220They were very lucky that they were able to swim – fully clothed – and as cold as it was,” he said.

Fordice’s father, the late Gov. Kirk Fordice, was also a pilot and flying enthusiast. Dan Fordice lives in Vicksburg and is a principal in Fordice Construction Co., as was his father. His mother, Pat, lives in Madison.

SeaReys come in an assortment of sizes and are personal hobby aircraft, some of which can be built from kits.