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The United States Coast Guard rescued ten people on Tuesday who were aboard an aircraft that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 80 miles east of Melbourne, Florida, according to the Southeast District of the agency.
The accident occurred around 12:05 p.m. (Eastern time) when the aircraft, a Beechcraft BE30 with registration HP-1859, lost communication with air traffic control after declaring an in-flight emergency.
The plane had taken off from Leonard M. Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour, Abaco (Bahamas), heading to Grand Bahama International Airport, a route that crosses the Atlantic waters between the Bahamas and the east coast of Florida.
The Coast Guard deployed a C-27 transport aircraft for search and rescue operations in the area, located about 50 miles east of the Vero Beach Regional Airport.
All occupants were located alive and transported to emergency medical services for evaluation, as confirmed by the Coast Guard in an official statement.
Three of the ten survivors suffered injuries. Nine were taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Brevard County, and one to Orlando Health Melbourne. All were initially brought to Melbourne-Orlando International Airport before being transferred to the hospitals.
The identities of the occupants and their specific medical conditions have not been publicly disclosed.
The weather conditions in the area at the time of the incident included winds of 17 mph (27 km/h) and an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
The cause of the accident remains unknown and is under a joint investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA).
It is not the first time that the Coast Guard has responded to an incident of this nature in the region. In October 2024, the agency rescued four people and a dog after a plane crash in Florida Bay, and in November 2023, a man survived a plane crash near the Florida Keys and was rescued by the same agency.
The route between the Bahamas and Florida is one of the busiest for private flights and charters in the western Atlantic, making the Southeastern District of the Coast Guard one of the most active in air search and rescue operations in the region.
The FAA was expected to release a preliminary report on the accident this Wednesday.
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