Two people were rescued after their small plane plummeted into Long Island Sound on Sunday morning, authorities said — adding that both were in stable condition after the harrowing descent.
“At approximately 10:24 a.m. local time, the pilot of aircraft N2242Z, a Piper PA-32 with two souls onboard, declared an emergency while in communication with New York Air Traffic Control,” Tweed New Haven Airport said in a statement.
The plane had taken off from Bridgeport, Conn., “to an unspecified destination” and was about 8 miles from Tweed when air traffic controllers redirected it there for an emergency landing, the airport said, adding, “Shortly thereafter, the aircraft was reported down in Long Island Sound off the coast of Branford.”
It went down southeast of the Thimble Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Rescuers from the New Haven Coast Guard Station sped to the scene in a 45-foot boat and plucked the survivors from the water, CBS News reported. The two had minor injuries and were taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, according to News12 New York.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating.
Responders did not publicly identify the two occupants, but the air traffic monitoring website FlightAware noted the registered owner of the fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft had a Newtown, Conn., address.
“We are deeply relieved that both individuals were safely recovered and extend our sincere gratitude to all federal, state, and local responders for their swift and coordinated response,” Tweed said.
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