Hilo:
A small plane ran out of fuel and was ditched in the ocean several miles (kilometers) off Hawaii's coast, but the pilot was rescued by Coast Guard crew who had flown alongside and coached him on crash landing in the choppy seas.
Dramatic video released by the Coast Guard shows the plane gliding low over the water and then splashing down.
Within seconds, the pilot climbs out onto a wing as a helicopter lowers a rescue swimmer, who helps him enter a basket that is hoisted to the hovering aircraft.
The 65-year-old man, who was not seriously injured, was flying solo from Monterey, California, when he radioed authorities on Friday afternoon that he was running low on fuel about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from his destination of Hilo, Hawaii, the Coast Guard said. The cities are about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) apart.
The Guard sent a plane to rendezvous with the two-engine Cessna and dispatched a ship and helicopter to be ready for a possible rescue, spokesman Lt. Gene Maestas told The Associated Press.
Dramatic video released by the Coast Guard shows the plane gliding low over the water and then splashing down.
Within seconds, the pilot climbs out onto a wing as a helicopter lowers a rescue swimmer, who helps him enter a basket that is hoisted to the hovering aircraft.
The 65-year-old man, who was not seriously injured, was flying solo from Monterey, California, when he radioed authorities on Friday afternoon that he was running low on fuel about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from his destination of Hilo, Hawaii, the Coast Guard said. The cities are about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) apart.
The Guard sent a plane to rendezvous with the two-engine Cessna and dispatched a ship and helicopter to be ready for a possible rescue, spokesman Lt. Gene Maestas told The Associated Press.
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