A young pilot from Florida was able to swim away from her plane after it made a smooth water landing in the Atlantic Ocean off Boca Raton on Saturday. Faith Tenkley, 23, who has been flying for four years, was the only person on board the twin-engine Piper when it encountered mechanical issues about 15 miles west of Boca Raton. Tenkley told Gulf Coast News that she initially planned to divert to Boca Raton Airport, but the landing gear malfunctioned and she feared a hard runway landing could ignite the recently refueled aircraft.
The plane's right engine had also failed, leaving Tenkley to make a rapid decision to ditch the aircraft in the ocean rather than risk a landing on land. Witnesses watched the low-flying plane descend over the busy beach before it landed in the water. A lifeguard reached Tenkley within about a minute after the plane went down, followed closely by a Boca Raton Ocean Rescue fire boat.
The incident was captured on video by a beachgoer, showing the dramatic moments of the water landing, the quick rescue, and the aftermath of a shaken Tenkley sitting on the beach, looking out to the sinking plane. Tenkley was taken to a hospital as a precaution and no injuries were reported, according to Boca Raton police.
Tenkley has been a pilot for four years and was on her way to pick up her parents in the Bahamas when the incident occurred. She has declined media interviews outside of Gulf Coast News, but wanted to clear up misinformation that it was a male pilot rescued by a female surfer instead of vice versa.
The incident has been praised by witnesses, who noted that the plane remained in one piece and Tenkley's handling of the emergency was skillful.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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