Youngest Child Rescued By Witness; Search Continues For Father, Nine Year-Old

The search for a father and his nine year-old son continues in Ohio after their C-172 went down in Lake Erie Monday night. Another son, a seven year-old, was rescued from the water by a witness from Kelleys Island.

"I heard this faint cry and followed it," Chuck Herndon, who rowed a boat to the boy.

About a half-mile off shore, the child pulled himself into the boat. "He said, 'My father and my brother were killed in a plane crash,' just like that," Herndon said.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was flying a 1962 Cessna 172C Skyhawk (similar to "B" model, shown above) and reportedly took off from Kelleys Island Land Field Airport Monday night, according to Cleveland Coast Guard spokesperson Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier.

They went down in the water about 10 to 15 miles east of Kelleys Island, according to the Associated Press.

Rescue efforts, including several boats, helicopters, dive teams and underwater sonar units, have focused on a specific area where debris and oil sheen were spotted off Marblehead on the nearby mainland, about 1/4 mile east of the island, according to Lanier. 

Water depth in the area ranges from nine to about 20 feet.

US Coast Guard Detroit Sector commander Capt. Patrick Brennan told reporters the plane's destination is unknown, but it is believed the trip was a pleasure ride.

The rescued child is said to have been alert and talkative with authorities and was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo.

FMI: www.faa.gov