Good Samaritan comes to the rescue after a small plane crashes off Florida Keys coast
A small plane crashed Tuesday afternoon into the water off the Florida Keys, according to the Coast Guard.
The single-engine, fixed wing plane went down in the Florida Bay about four nautical miles north off the Middle Keys city of Marathon shortly before 2:30 p.m., Petty Officer Ryan Estrada, Coast Guard spokesman said.
A good Samaritan in the area picked up the pilot, a man who has not been identified, as they waited for a Coast Guard crew from Marathon to pick him up. The pilot was the only person aboard and was taken ashore where paramedics evaluated him, officials said.
#BREAKING @USCG, partner agencies, & a good Samaritan responded to a plane crash approx. 3 miles north of #Marathon, Tues. #SAR
Survivor was transferred ashore to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Station Marathon.
Read more: https://t.co/pU2WzW8DrH pic.twitter.com/H2GuotJWfb— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) November 8, 2023
The Coast Guard is watching for any pollution from the plane and salvage workers are determining what to do with the wreckage.
“Massive thank you and a job well done to the good Samaritan that assisted in this rescue,” Petty Officer Second Class Timothy Worthen, a Coast Guard Station Marathon coxswain, said in a statement. “This individual’s life was saved due to their actions.”
