The area around Lake Berryessa is rolling hills covered with brush, wildflowers, pine and Napa oak trees, not a good choice for a makeshift landing spot. Tokarz opted for the water where the plane sunk in the shallow depths of Berryessa, resting less than 50 feet under the surface. Tokarz is a civilian flight instructor and Air Force reservist who has flown for over nine years, with an accumulative 1,600 flight hours. He said the sunken T-34 is an Air Force plane and the Air Force would take care of the cost of the plane retrieval. The crowds at Lake Berryessa were larger than usual because it was Memorial Day Weekend, filling the lake with swimmers, boaters, water skiers, and jetskies.
Mechanical failure happens, just like it happens to cars.