Florida crew recounts miraculous Atlantic plane rescue with fuel low
Florida crew recounts miraculous Atlantic plane rescue with fuel low
All 11 survived after an emergency water landing off Florida near the Bahamas, as rescuers with minutes of fuel left retrieved them from a life raft.
A Florida rescue crew from the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base rushed to reach survivors about 80 miles east of Melbourne after a Beechcraft ditched in the Atlantic. A Combat King II transport plane and an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter pulled 11 people from a life raft after about five hours in the water. There was no wreckage seen as rescuers arrived, and the Bahamian adults were taken to waiting ambulances at Melbourne airport.
Over roughly an hour and a half, the helicopter crew made nine winch lifts to bring everyone aboard, then flew them to medical facilities. The pilot said the helicopter had only about five minutes of fuel left when the last person was hoisted, calling it bingo time to depart. The crew said the outcome was pretty miraculous given the circumstances and the lack of visible wreckage.
The operation demonstrated the crews' teamwork and skill in rough seas and with tight fuel margins. The survivors were reported in stable condition after the rescue.
