The Piper Cub PA-18 crashed into the top of a 60-foot white fir tree on Monday, April 22, 2019.

(Valley County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)

At a Glance

The pilot was preparing to land when the Piper Cub crashed into the top of the tree.A firefighter with a tree removal business climbed the 60-foot white fir to rescue the man.The plane may remain in the tree for another week or so.

An Idaho pilot spent more than three hours awaiting rescue Monday night in his Piper Cub PA-18 perched at the top of a 60-foot white fir.

John Gregory, 79, was trying to land at the airport in McCall, Idaho, a little after 8:30 p.m. when , McCall Fire and EMS reported in a news release.

The Valley County Sheriff's Office was notified at 8:42 p.m. that , according to a news release.

Gregory, the pilot, also called 911 to say his plane was stuck in the tree. The fire department was dispatched at 8:58 and arrived about 10 p.m. using snowmobiles

“We were very ,” McCall Fire Captain Brandon Swain told the Idaho Statesman. “We really didn’t say much when we got on scene. We didn’t expect to see it as high up.”

John Gregory, 79, was trying to land at the airport in McCall, Idaho, on Monday, April 22, 2019, when his Piper Cub PA-18 crashed into the top of a tree. He was rescued about three hours later.

(Valley County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)

Firefighter Randy Acker, who owns a hazardous tree removal company in McCall, scaled the tree and used a chain saw to cut limbs along the way.

He used rope webbing to secure the plane to the tree and got a harness around the pilot. Rescuers on the ground helped lower Gregory to safety just after midnight. He was not injured in the crash, according to the sheriff's office.

One of the wheel struts appeared to be wrapped around the tree, the Statesman reported.

It may be a week or two before the plane is removed from the tree. In the meantime, the sheriff is asking people to stay away from the crash scene.

"People are highly encouraged to say away from this crash," Sheriff Patti Bolen said in a statement. "A simple gust of wind could bring this plane crashing down. We don't want to see anyone get hurt by going to see the plane."