Coast Guard crews rescued two people, 78-year-old Gerald Kerr and 72-year-old Elizabeth Reynolds, from a plane that landed in the water near Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg on Friday morning.
Watchstanders at the St. Petersburg Coast Guard Sector received a notification at 10:39am from the airport tower that a private aircraft had crashed after attempting to take off.
A 29-foot response boat crew from the the Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg was diverted and arrived on scene at 10:48am. The boat crew reported Kerr and Reynolds were inside in the plane in approximately three feet of water. Two good Samaritans dove in the water to assist the boat crew.
Both Reynolds and Kerr were transported to the Coast Guard Station where EMS was waiting for them. Reynolds reportedly suffered minor injuries.
#BREAKING @USCG crewmembers rescue 2 after plane lands in water near Albert Whitted Airport - #StPetersburg.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 1, 2017
According to dispatch, the incident happened on runway 18.
Albert Whitted Airport is owned and operated by the City of St. Petersburg. Commercial airlines do not operate out of the airport. Private or "recreational" aviators mainly fly in and out of the airport. There are also a number of aviation businesses based at Albert Whitted Airport. More than 80% of the planes at the airport are single-engine planes.
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