Photo By Chief Petty Officer Stephen Lehmann | A sea plane that was forced to land due to engine problems off the coast of Cape Canaveral is towed to safety by a Coast Guard boat crew Nov. 13, 2014. The pilot was the only person aboard and suffered no injuries during the ordeal. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A Coast Guard boat crew towed a sea plane into port after a mechanical failure on the plane forced the pilot to make an emergency landing one mile off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Thursday afternoon.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Cape Canaveral received the initial report of a plane crash at approximately 1 p.m. from the FAA. The station launched a boat crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat — Small to respond.
"When we got the initial report, it sounded like a plane crash and people in the water," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Matella, coxswain of the responding boat crew. "When you respond to something like this, there's a lot of information coming in and at some point you kind of have to do what you're trained to do. It was one of those 'plan for the worst, hope for the best' kind of situations."
When the boat crew arrived on scene they discovered that the plane hadn't crashed, but landed safely. There were no injuries reported from the pilot and no damage to the plane from the landing. The boat crew took the plane in tow and brought it safely into Blue Point Marina where the pilot will make arrangements for repairs.