Georgia pilot says it ‘wasn’t his time’ after surviving plane crash with wife, dog on board

REIDSVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia man said it all happened in a flash. Doyle Moye, his wife, and their Jack Russell Terrier were flying from St. Simons Island on Saturday and the next thing they knew, their plane was crashing near Reidsville.

“It was disbelief,” Moye told WSAV-TV. “You hear about this kind of stuff, and they teach you that it could happen and sort of what to do. Of course, the people that are teaching you have never had it happen to them either. First thing is shock.”

The Reidsville Fire Department posted pictures of the crashed plane, sitting nose-end down in a bunch of trees in Tattnall County.

Moye said they escaped with only a few scrapes and bruises.

“Between the engine blowing and five minutes later, we’re where the plane is,” Moye said. “I’m glad God decided it wasn’t his time to take us home with him.”

When he knew the plane was going down, Moye said all he could see was trees and a creek, neither of which were good spots to make an emergency landing.

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“I got away from the river. I had a feeling we were going to drown if we landed in that overflowing river right now,” Moye told the TV station. “Then I flew over a small creek, and the plane had descended a little lower than you’re supposed to – about 1,800 feet. I looked down, saw the pines, and I pulled the shoot.”

Once they crash-landed, Moye said he, his wife and their dog walked the woods for a couple of hours before finding first responders.

“The couple was found in a very heavy brush and planted pines, walking out,” the Reidsville Fire Department said.

“I sprained my ankle when I got out of the airplane,” Moye said. “I sprained it a little bit. I didn’t feel it. I walked about a mile and a half through all that junk. I didn’t get even remotely tired.”

Emergency responders said they eventually found the plane using a drone and are still working to remove it from the remote area where it crashed.

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