NEW YORK CITY – Coast Guard crews suspended the search for a survivor of a small plane, which reportedly crashed into the Port Jefferson Harbor in Port Jefferson, New York, Saturday night.
The search was suspended at approximately 10:20 a.m., Sunday after Coast Guard and local agencies searched continuously for 18 cumulative hours covering more than approximately 90 square miles.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a call at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday, reporting a small plane with four people aboard had crashed into the Port Jefferson Harbor.
Sector Long Island Sound issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast notice to mariners, requesting vessels in the area to keep a sharp lookout for the crashed plane and for any survivors.
A 45-foot Response Boat–Medium from Coast Guard Station Eaton’s Neck and an MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod were launched and immediately started searching for survivors in the Port Jefferson Harbor.
Other local agencies also launched assets to assist in the rescue of the passengers aboard the crashed plane.
Suffolk County Aviation Division located three people in the water wearing their life jackets and swimming to shore.
One of the survivors swam to shore and a Suffolk County Marine Delta rescue vessel rescued two of the other survivors.
The three survivors were transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
Assisted in the search were:
- Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews
- Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft
- Coast Guard Station Eaton’s Neck 45-foot Response Boat–Medium
- Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound
- Bridge Port Marine Police Department
- Mount Sinai Fire Rescue Department
- Nissequogue Fire Rescue Department
- Setauket Fire Rescue Department
- Suffolk County Aviation Department
- Suffolk County Dive Division
- Suffolk County Marine Delta
- Stony Brook Fire Rescue Department
The cause of the plane crash is under investigation.
