A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew from the Bay Area rescued a father and son from a downed airplane off the Monterey County coast Sunday afternoon.
The plane, a single-engine Cessna 185 headed for Canada, sent out a mayday call shortly after 3 p.m. about 38 nautical miles northwest of Morro Bay, according to the Coast Guard. The pilot said his engine had stalled, forcing him to make an emergency landing at sea.
The Coast Guard responded with an MH-65 helicopter rescue crew from Air Station San Francisco, another helicopter crew from Los Angeles and rescue boat crews from stations in Monterey and Morro Bay.
The Cessna was located quickly because the plane's owner had a Personal Locator Beacon that had been registered with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
"That was instrumental in getting us on the scene quickly," said Ed Skinner, 11th Coast Guard District search and rescue controller.
The plane was overturned and partially submerged when the Coast Guard arrived on the scene.
The San Francisco helicopter crew was able to rescue the pair, a father in his 70s and his son, in his 30s, from the plane. They were taken to Paso Robles, where they declined medical attention.
Local
Raw video of the Coast Guard rescue is pictured above.
