Plane Went Down About Eight Miles Southeast Of Southwest Pass, LA

The Coast Guard rescued a man after he ditched his plane in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 8 miles southeast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Sunday.

Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District received a distress alert from an emergency locator transmitter at 11:46 a.m. The transmitter’s location was approximately 8 miles southeast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

District watchstanders also received notification from the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center that a Southwest Airlines flight had relayed a mayday call from an unknown aircraft. The Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center also reported three helicopters had received the international air distress frequency near the transmitter’s location.

District watchstanders directed the launch of Coast Guard crews to search the transmitter’s location for signs of distress.

Involved in the search were:

• An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
• A 45-Foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Venice
• An HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile

The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 1:04 p.m. and located the man, who was the only person aboard the plane. He was in the water and wearing a life jacket. The aircrew hoisted the man and transported him to West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero in stable condition.

“This is a great example of how being prepared can help the Coast Guard locate and rescue you if you need assistance,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Ward, an aircraft commander at Air Station New Orleans. “Wearing a life jacket and having an emergency locator device onboard, including an emergency position indicating radio beacon onboard a vessel, greatly increases your chances of survival and being rescued.”

(Image provided with USCG news release)

FMI: www.uscg.mil