BOCA RATON, Fla. — A small, twin-engine plane crashed into the ocean off the coast of Florida. The pilot survived.
The plane, a Piper PA30 twin-engine propeller plane, came down Aug. 22 near South Beach Park, five miles from Boca Raton Airport, WPLG reported.
Crews remove small plane after pilot survives crashing into shallow sea off Boca Raton beach https://t.co/juJayQXzjA
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) August 23, 2026
The plane glided into the water, which was captured on cell phone video.
One person told WPEC, “I look over, and I’m like, ‘Yo, is that a plane right there? Why is he so low?’”
Ajdin Lulic said “Yeah, they’re gliding and I’m like, ‘Did that thing just touch down in the water?’ We saw a little splash and people were like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Lulic’s friend Jade Ziti said the plane drifted to shore.
Boca Raton Police said the pilot, Faith Tenkley, was the only person on board. She was not hurt but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Tenkley said she was flying from Fort Myers to South Bimini Airport in the Bahamas when she had engine trouble and broken landing gear. She was on the way to get her parents in the plane that was owned by her family, WBBH reported.
“After deciding a landing at Boca Raton Airport was not the safest option I continued to the coast,” she told WPEC.
“During the descent, my primary focus was ensuring the safety of everyone around me. I was able to navigate toward open water, successfully avoiding all nearby buildings, paddleboarders, and swimmers (as well as individuals using metal detectors).”
“We looked down there was a school of snook, looked up, a plane came over us about 10 feet over us,” Brett Goorland, who was snorkeling nearby, told WPTV. “Bizarre sight for sure.”
“The plane got lower in front of Palmetto. I’m like wow that’s really risky, before I noticed the plane go into a glide path,” Michael Arizzi, who was boating with his wife, told WPTV. “At first you go, oh it’s not an emergency, it’s not an emergency, and then all of a sudden the plane hits the water.”
Crews dismantled the plane on Sunday and removed it from the water, WPEC reported.
The FAA is investigating.
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