Small plane crashes into Atlantic Ocean off Boca Raton; pilot rescued
Piper departed from Fort Myers and headed to Bimini
BOCA RATON, Fla. —
A small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning with a woman, the only person aboard, uninjured and taken to a local hospital as a precaution, the Boca Raton Police Department and Boca Raton Fire Rescue said.
A Piper PA30 series twin-engine propeller plane crashed in the ocean 2 miles east of Boca Raton Airport around 10:40 a.m. local time, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Cassandra Nolan told WPBF.
The flight departed from Page Field in Fort Myers and was headed to South Bimini Airport in the Bahamas.
The plane was cleared to land at Boca Raton Airport when the emergency was declared, Clara Bennett, executive director of the Boca Raton Airport Authority, said.
The pilot was taken from the plane by Boca Raton Ocean Rescue.
Police said to avoid the area of 250 S. Ocean Blvd., which is near West Palmetto Park Road.
Plane crash off Boca Raton.
The Boca Raton Police Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard remain on the scene while the Federal Aviation Administration is en route.
Reaction from near the crash
Spectators were gathered at South Beach Park after the crash.
“I was there when it happened,” Maria Marks told WPBF. “One second I’m spraying sunscreen on my kid. The next I’m looking up and saying, ‘is that supposed to be happening.’ ”
Robert Taplinger, who lives in The Marbella off Ocean Boulevard, said he has an oceanfront view of the scene.
“The plane is totally intact,” Taplinger told WPBF.
Hours later, only the tail was visible before it was to be towed.
Craig Sutton posted video online that shows the plane going into the ocean.
Alexis Arizzi described to WPBF what happened.
“The plane was making a slow descent and delicately landed into the water,” Arizzi said. “My husband is an aircraft mechanic at Boca Airport and has been discussing this with the local aviation community all day.”
Pilots’ reaction
Two pilots on the beach, who didn’t witness the crash, spoke to WPBF photojournalist Marcus Giordano.
“It’s always a big shot for everybody and you know from what I can tell over here…it looks like the pilot did a pretty good job,” one pilot said. “I fly professionally both for the airlines and locally here and I teach here as well. The most important part they teach you in emergency support or anything is to fly the airplane all the way down. Based on the fact that it’s all in one piece… it seems like the pilot did that.”
Another pilot said: “It was interesting to see what happened because it seemed like it was a controlled descent into the water. I spoke to a lifeguard friend of mine who mentioned radio issues, lost communications and an engine failure ultimately.”
About the plane
The Piper PA30 series planes were built by Piper Aircraft between 1961 and 1972 with four or six seats.
The tail number of the model PA-39 is registered to USOARFlorida LLC in Fort Myers, according to the FAA.
The listed president is Chad Tenkley, and Lisa M. Tenkley is the vice president. Tenkley would only tell WPBF the plane is owned by the LLC.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Follow us on social: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok