A small fixed wing plane has crashed off the cost of Palm Beach, Florida, sparking a search and rescue effort led by the US Coast Guard. The propeller plane was reportedly heading to the Bahamas when it went down.
The Piper PA-32 light aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean some 23 miles east of Palm Beach on Friday afternoon. The single-engine plane was carrying two people and two dogs when it went down about an hour after taking off from the Lantana Airport in Palm Beach.
According to the flight tracking site FlightAware, the plane belongs to Simmons Pet Properties LLC. It was to land in Marsh Harbor, a town in Abaco Islands, Bahamas.
Following the reports of the plane’s crash, the US Court Guard has launched an operation to look for survivors.
A photo posted by the Coast Guard shows a helicopter hovering over the water and a rescue boat heading to the site of the crash. The Coast Guard said in a statement that it has dispatched a MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami, the Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark (WPC-1106) and a 45-foot Medium Endurance Response Boat after being notified by the Federal Aviation Administration of the incident.
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