Dramatic moment Maryland cop jumps into kayak and uses SCREWDRIVERS to pull herself across the ice-covered creek to rescue a pilot who crashed

• Stunning video shows female officer Elizabeth Myers with the Anne Arundel County Police Department rushing to assist the 71-year-old pilot last week
• Footage retrieved from the officer’s bodycam shows the December 26 rescue 
• The pilot identified as Steve Couchman of Prince Frederick, Maryland, was flying a Piper Cherokee single-engine plane
• Couchman was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries 

A Maryland police officer jumped into a kayak and used two screwdrivers – in place of a set of paddles – to race across an ice-covered river to rescue a pilot who crashed his plane.

Dramatic video shows female officer Elizabeth Myers with the Anne Arundel County Police Department rushing to assist the pilot after the single-engine aircraft went flying into the frozen waters of Beards Creek. Myers was assisted by other kayakers during the joint rescue mission.

The clip, retrieved from the officer’s bodycam, shows the aftermath of the December 26 crash.

The pilot, Steve Couchman, 71, of Prince Frederick, Maryland, is seen bobbing in the distance as Myers summons all her strength using two screwdrivers to help her kayak move swiftly over the frozen ice.

Dramatic video shows female officer Elizabeth Myers with the Anne Arundel County Police Department (pictured) rushes to assist aircraft went flying into the frozen waters of Beards Creek using two screwdrivers, in place of oars, to help with the rescue mission 

As the officer approaches the scene, two kayakers with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, surface and pull the pilot to safety.

Couchman was first transported to the Annapolis Landing Marina and then to Anne Arundel Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Anne Arundel County Police Department said in a release: ‘Oars don’t work on ice, but screwdrivers do.’ 

Couchman had been the sole occupant flying a Piper Cherokee single-engine plane before the plane went down last week. Debris from the aircraft’s wheel was seen in the footage scattered across the icy bed.

According to a preliminary investigation the plane took off from Lee Airport in Edgewater, Maryland. The engine of the plane began to sputter. Witnesses told police after they heard the sputtering sound they heard the plane crash into the creek, BayNet reported. 

Maryland State Police from the Glen Burnie and Annapolis Barracks were dispatched to the scene around 10.30am. 

Two civilians, who were nearby, and a police officer from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, who had been off-duty at the time, jumped into action. Three kayaks were in the water attempting to rescue the man.

As the plane was sinking in the frozen waters, the pilot managed to exit the plane and stood on the wing. Once the kayakers were close enough, the pilot was able to hang on to one of them to stay afloat.

The pilot identified as Steve Couchman of Prince Frederick, Maryland, was flying a Piper Cherokee single-engine plane before it went down hitting the icy waters of Beards Creek during the December 26 crash. Couchman was the sole occupant and suffered non-life- threatening injuries 

The pilot identified as Steve Couchman of Prince Frederick, Maryland, was flying a Piper Cherokee single-engine plane

The Maryland State Police Department tweeted their gratitude to all those helped during the joint rescue operation after the single-plane aircraft went down in Beards Creek 

Officers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police responded to the harrowing scene by boat. 

Upon their arrival, one of the officers cut through the frigid icy waters and pulled the pilot to safety where he was then transported to the hospital.  

None of the kayakers were injured during the rescue operation.

Lt. Jennifer Macallair from Anne Arundel County Fire and EMS said: ‘With the temperatures like I said in the 30 degrees hypothermia can set in within minutes. 

‘And so their quick actions – I think definitely made a positive outcome today.’ 

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