Multiple sources begin reporting on Tuesday evening that a 42-year-old man from Newport was forced to land his airplane on a sandbar in the Quabbin Reservoir. The Quabbin Reservoir is located in North Salem, Massachusetts.

That man, who was not hurt in the emergency landing, has been identified by WPRI 12 as Guillaume de Ramel.

de Ramel, an investor and philanthropist, has run for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State of Rhode Island twice, receiving 47% of the vote in 2006, losing to then North Providence Mayor, A. Ralph Mollis, and 49% of the vote in 2014, losing to executive director of HousingWorks RI Nellie Gorbea.

It has been reported that de Ramel reported having engine problems before the emergency landing.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the plane was still on the sandbar.

What Others Are Saying

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...