Pilot Survives Emergency Landing off Boca Raton Beach
A 23-year-old pilot, Faith Tenkley, managed to successfully execute an emergency water landing off Boca Raton, Florida, on August 22. In dramatic footage, Tenkley is seen steering her single-engine aircraft away from beachgoers and paddleboarders before swimming safely to shore. Her quick thinking and professionalism garnered her praise from local authorities.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard is currently searching for a plane that was carrying four family members from Florida, which authorities in the Bahamas believe may have “crash-landed” into the ocean after leaving Great Harbour Cay.
The pilot, Mario Lamar, aged 80, his wife Lili, 79, and their two grandchildren, Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were confirmed by family as the passengers on the PA-34 Piper five-seater that was en route to Opa-locka, Florida, according to reports.
“Please help,” Silvia Larrieu, the couple’s niece, appealed to the media. “I ask anybody out there, if you can help with search and rescue efforts, we would greatly appreciate it. We need to bring them home.”
Larrieu mentioned that the family was returning home from their visit to a vacation property in Great Harbour Cay over Labor Day weekend. She noted that they had spent many years visiting the location. Data from FlightAware indicated that the airplane descended rapidly from 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in approximately three minutes before it disappeared from radar.
According to Larrieu, Mario Lamar had extensive flying experience and always kept the aircraft well-maintained.
The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast reported that it is assisting Bahamian authorities following a report about a downed aircraft with four people aboard, located roughly 15 miles off the coast of Andros Island. A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry plane has joined the search efforts.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed receiving a report at around 2:20 p.m. indicating that an aircraft might have gone down in the waters near Red Bays.
Air traffic control stated that a PA-34 Piper aircraft, with registration number N212ML, had left Great Harbour Cay at approximately 11:12 a.m. bound for Opa-locka, Florida. They subsequently lost contact with the plane about 13 miles west of Andros Island.
The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) mentioned that the U.S. Coast Guard initially attempted a search of the area but had to pause due to poor weather conditions, waiting for a more favorable time to resume operations.
