UNITED STATES: The pilot of the Piper PA 46 aircraft raised the alarm during a flight off the coast of Miami, Florida, yesterday afternoon.
‘Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I have a door ajar and a passenger that fell down,’ he said in a radio call for help to the Federal Aviation Administration.
‘You said you’ve got a passenger that fell out of your plane?’ the air traffic controller responds.
‘That’s correct, sir,’ the pilot responded. ‘He opened the back door and he just fell out the plane.’
The Coast Guard and fire rescue officials said they hadn’t yet confirmed whether the pilot’s emergency call was legitimate.
READ MORE
Messi out with hamstring strain as Puerto Rico match delayed
Team Kenya reigns supreme at World Cross Country Championships in Florida
Messi signs new Inter Miami contract through 2028: club
La Liga cancel plan to hold Villarreal v Barcelona match in Miami
It wasn’t immediately clear where the flight originated or how many people were on board. The plane was safely landed at Tamiami Executive Airport, south Miami.
The search for the plane passenger is expected to resume this morning after it was stopped overnight. Homicide detectives are also investigating the incident.
‘We have reports — I want to emphasise that, reports — of a passenger of a plane that either jumped or fell several miles out from shore,’ said Detective Javier Baez from Miami-Dade Police.
‘Homicide at this point is investigating. We’re still gathering as many facts as we can.’
Stephen Hedges, a spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, said the likelihood of survival was ‘extremely slim’.
