BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – U.S. Air Force pilots from the 920th Rescue Wing described a race against time, battling fuel concerns and a closing thunderstorm to reach the survivors after a small plane crashed into the ocean.
What started as a routine training mission quickly became a real rescue operation when the crew learned of a possible downed aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean around noon Tuesday.
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“We headed out there, it took us about 15 minutes to get on scene, we set up a search pattern, and within minutes, we located the raft,” Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty said.
The plane had taken off from the Bahamas before going down.
The 11 survivors, all adults and foreign nationals, were found huddled together on a raft beneath a tarp as a thunderstorm moved in. They had no idea help was on the way as they had lost communication after their plane went down hours earlier.
“They had already been in the water, in the raft, for about five hours. You could tell just by looking at them, they were very distressed, physically, mentally, emotionally,” Capt. Rory Whipple explained.
The rescue crew faced significant challenges during the mission, including the distance to the survivors and worsening weather conditions.
“The challenging part heading out there was balancing fuel concerns with thunderstorms,” Lt. Col. Matt Johnson said.
After locating the raft, the crew dropped survival gear, including additional rafts, before jumping into the water to triage survivors.
“Giving them that extra hope that we were overhead and we were going to provide rescue for them, I’m sure was a great relief,” Piowaty said.
All 11 people were transported to Melbourne Orlando International Airport, with the entire mission lasting about an hour and a half.
Johnson said the crew completed the rescue with almost nothing to spare.
“We had five minutes left in gas when we got the last person out of the water,” he said.
All 11 survivors were taken to nearby hospitals following the rescue.
“From what I’ve seen, for all those people to survive, is pretty miraculous,” Piowaty said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet released a cause for the crash.