October 11 started out like a normal Saturday for Dustin Dishon. He was playing in his backyard in Buford, North Dakota. Suddenly, he saw a seaplane crash into the nearby Missouri River! Dustin, 8, ran to the scene. After several tries, he pulled pilot Dennis Safranek from the cold water with a tree branch. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive," says Safranek. "He stayed with me the whole time."

Daily News from TIME for Kids

October 24, 1997 World Report