Two student pilots are okay after a small plane went down in the water off Haulover Beach Tuesday morning, officials said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene about 40 feet from shore around 11:30 a.m., officials said.
Footage showed the small single-engine plane in shallow water not far from shore.
Two student pilots, 20-year-old Juan Jose Ortiz Carrera of Ecuador and 24-year-old Fabian Ignacio Bobadilla-Ruiz of Chile, were inside when the plane went down. They sustained minor injuries and were released on the scene, officials said.
Twitter user @TheSamiJoShow tweeted photos of the plane after it landed in the water and said the passengers swam to shore as the plane took about two minutes to go under.
Juan Carlos Garcia works for Biscayne Towing & Salvage. The company specializes in underwater jobs, usually with boats, "I have been with this company for 15 years and this has been the hardest [recovery]."
The FAA is investigating the incident and the plane has been released to the pilot.
2/1/16 plane crash at Haulover Park, Miami Beach, FL. Passengers swam to shore before plane went under in >2 minutes pic.twitter.com/N7V1HOWQSA — Sami Jo (@TheSamiJoShow) February 2, 2016
#MDFR on scene of plane down at Haulover Cut. Passangers did not sustain injuries. #FireBoatNorth — MDFR (@MiamiDadeFire) February 2, 2016
Local
#BreakingNews: @USCGSoutheast responding to single engine plane crash near Haulover Beach. Initial reports: 2 POB, no serious injuries. — USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) February 2, 2016
