Two dead after small plane crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida
May 16th, 2010 - 6:02 am ICT by BNO NewsNETTLE ISLAND, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) — Two people were killed on late Saturday morning when their small plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida, authorities said.
St. Lucie County emergency operators received several 911 calls about a small plane crashing into the ocean at around 11.45 a.m. local time. Pilots aboard a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office helicopter returning to that county from a funeral in Indian River County witnessed the crash and notified the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.
The pilots then stayed in the area until the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, Dive Team and Aviation Unit arrived, along with detectives.
Deputies removed the bodies of the two victims who were strapped in the cockpit of the plane, in 10 - 15 feet of water. “The Pilot was Donald T. Hopkin, 60 (DOB 11/19/49), who lived in Fort Lauderdale and was a part-time resident of Jensen Beach,” said Sheriff Ken J. Mascara. “The passenger was James B. Doom, 39 (DOB 5/1/71), of North Palm Beach.”
The crash, which involved a YAK-52 aircraft, will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Deputies have marked the wreckage with a buoy.
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