Plane Sinks Near San Mateo, CA Bridge

A father and son escaped serious injury after ditching their aircraft into the bay just south of the San Mateo Bridge in California Saturday morning, according to SFGate.com.

The men took off from the San Carlos Airport (SQL) and were headed for Hayward (HWD) when their Beechcraft went down at about 1130 PDT.

Chet McConville, a battalion chief with the San Carlos-Belmont Fire Department said the pilot stated that the engine lost power and couldn't be restarted. Officials said the plane hit the water horizontally.

"He described it as a belly landing," McConville said. The two men stood on the wing of the Beechcraft A35 Bonanza until the plane submerged, and then swam to shore.

They were met at the shore by San Carlos-Belmont fire department officials and driven back to San Carlos airport, and declined medical services. The men were a father and son, but officials refused to release their names.

Witnesses reported the water landing, several boats and a jet ski from the Redwood City and Menlo Park fire departments were dispatched, along with a Coast Guard helicopter.

A small California Department of Fish and Game boat that happened to be in the area picked the men up, said McConville."The plane had sunk," McConville said. "With all the factors involved, they were very lucky."

FMI: www.faa.gov