Coast Guard, partner agencies rescue 4 from plane crash near Marathon

Coast Guard 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement file photo by PA3 James Judge

Coast Guard 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement file photo by PA3 James Judge

Miami—The Coast Guard and local partner agencies rescued four people from a plane crash, Friday, approximately 25 miles northeast of Marathon.

A Coast Guard Station Marathon 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement team embarked the four survivors and safely transported them to Station Marathon.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification at approximately 4:30 p.m., from Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders reporting a plane crash of a Piper Saratoga aircraft with four people aboard near Marathon. Flamingo State Park Rangers and Monroe County Sheriff Officer’s recovered all four people from the water with no medical concerns and transferred them to a Station Marathon rescue crew.

“Thank you to our local partner agencies for quickly arriving on scene and recovering the four people in the water,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Watson, coxswain at Station Marathon. “Not only did the quick response help rescue the survivors, but the four people wore their life jackets which helped save their lives as well.”

A commercial salvage company has been contracted to salvage the partially submerged aircraft.

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