This story has been updated with additional information from the U.S. Coast Guard.
An airplane enroute from the Bahamas went down about 80 miles off the coast of Melbourne on Tuesday, May 12, leading to the ocean rescue of all 11 people on the plane, U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed. The number of people rescued was updated after earlier reports of 10 aboard.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, a Beechcraft BE30, took off from Marsh Harbor Airport on Abaco Island in the Bahamas. It had been headed to the Grand Bahama International Airport when it crashed into the ocean after hitting rough weather, the FAA said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY.
The plane hit the water at 12:05 p.m., about 50 miles east of Vero Beach Regional Airport. It was not immediately known if those rescued were taken to hospitals on the U.S. mainland or in the Bahamas.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a C-27 midrange aircraft to assist with the search for the airplane. The 920th Rescue Squad from Patrick Space Force Base also responded to the crash site.
“We can confirm response operations are currently underway following a civilian aircraft incident. Rescue assets, including aircraft and emergency response teams from the 920th Rescue Wing, have been deployed to support search and recovery efforts. Response operations remain ongoing,” Space Force officials confirmed in an email to FLORIDA TODAY.
All 11 people on the plane were accounted for and were being treated by responders, officials said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority, the investigative aviation authority for the Bahamas, told the Nassau Guardian news that three people had been injured and that the pilot had declared an emergency before contact was lost with the airplane.
“There were clusters of thunderstorms developing off the east coast of Florida before noon. Any thunderstorm can create rapidly changing and potentially hazardous flying conditions,” said Dan DePodwin, Vice President of Forecasting Operations, AccuWeather.
“Within those storms, pilots can encounter sudden shifts in wind, including strong updrafts and downdrafts, along with reduced visibility. These types of convective conditions can evolve within a matter of seconds.” DePodwin said.
Check back for updates.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.