VERO BEACH — Three people were rescued from the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday evening after their single-engine aircraft crashed approximately one mile east of 1706 Ocean Drive in Vero Beach, authorities said.
The incident, reported at 8:24 p.m., prompted a swift and coordinated response from multiple agencies, including the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO), Indian River County Fire Rescue (IRCFR), Indian River Shores Public Safety, Vero Beach Police Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The plane went down about four miles east of Vero Beach Airport, with its last known contact roughly one mile offshore. A unified command was established to manage the search, which centered on the aircraft’s last reported location.
IRCSO’s helicopter, nicknamed “Hawk,” played a critical role, spotting the three occupants in the water and directing rescue vessels to their position.
A rescue swimmer was deployed to aid the survivors, who were subsequently pulled from the ocean and transported to the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Fort Pierce. Details about the survivors’ conditions were not immediately released.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have taken over the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Authorities have not yet released information about the aircraft or the circumstances leading to the incident.
