Air Force Rescues All 11 from King Air Ditched at Sea

U.S. Air Force Reserve crews rescued all 11 occupants of a Beechcraft King Air 300 that ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida's east coast on Tuesday morning reportedly following an engine failure.

The 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, recovered the 11 adults from life rafts approximately five hours after the aircraft went down during a flight from Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (MYAM, formerly Marsh Harbour International), Bahamas, to Grand Bahama International Airport (MYGF). The aircraft, registered HP-1859 in Panama, departed Marsh Harbour before the pilot declared an emergency, and communication was lost with air traffic control. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal alerted U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Florida around 11 a.m. local time.