Florida crew recounts ‘miraculous’ Atlantic plane rescue with fuel low
Summary
A Florida military rescue team saved 11 people from a plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 80 miles off Florida’s east coast. The survivors spent around five hours in a small life raft before being rescued just as a thunderstorm approached; the rescue helicopter had only five minutes of fuel left when the last person was saved.Key Facts
- The rescue team is from the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- The plane was a small Beechcraft twin-propeller aircraft that ditched into the ocean.
- All 11 people rescued were adults from the Bahamas.
- Survivors spent about five hours in a tiny life raft before rescue.
- Rescue was done using a Combat King II transport plane and an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter.
- The helicopter crew made nine hoists in rough seas to get everyone onboard.
- The helicopter had only about five minutes of fuel left when the last survivor was lifted.
- The plane’s emergency beacon activated at impact, alerting the US Coast Guard.
- The cause of the emergency and ditching is still being investigated.
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