The survivor of a plane crash near Makkovik early last month returned to the town and offered his thanks to those who saved his life.

Sam Rutherford was one of two pilots on board the small aircraft that crashed about 75 kilometres southeast of the town on May 1. The other pilot succumbed to his injuries.

A search and rescue team was deployed, and had to contend with zero visibility in stormy weather to reach the site of the crash. Mayor of Makkovik and rescue coordinator Barry Andersen said conditions were so bad, at one point the team was reduced to a crawl, and had to keep moving with GPS as their only guide.

During the visit, he says both Rutherford and his family could not stop saying “Thank you.”

The family of Alan Simpson—who succumbed in the crash—also reached out, according to Andersen, to express their gratitude for recovering his body.