Beechcraft Bonanza Lost Power About 10 Miles Offshore

The pilot of a 1961 Beechcraft Bonanza was rescued by a fishing charter boat after he was forced to ditch his plane about three miles off the coast of northeast Florida Friday.

Television station WJXT reports that the pilot, Bart Albert, was flying from Asheville, NC to Ormond Beach, FL when the plane lost power about 10 miles offshore. He attempted to restart the airplane, but was unsuccessful and declared an emergency and pointed the airplane towards shore.

Albert wound up ditching the airplane about three miles from shore, and he said he was just able to get the door open and exit the airplane before it sank. That left him treading water without a life jacket.

But fortunately, he didn't have to tread water for long. A fishing charter boat witnessed the accident and was on the scene about five minutes after the plane sank.

The charter captain, Don Dingman, said he was the plane coming down and then the Navy helicopter which had responded to the mayday call hovering nearby.

The plane sank so fast the Albert was not able to get any of his personal items out before it went down. A Coast Guard cutter was dispatched to the scene, and boaters are being advised to stay clear of the area in case something floats to the surface. Albert said he is not sure whether the airplane can be salvaged.

(Image from file. Not ditched airplane)

FMI: Source report