Accidents
U.S. Air Force Rescues All 11 from Ditched King Air
Mission completed via nine hoists in 3- to 5-foot seas
Combat King II rescues 11 survivors after a King Air ditched off the coast of Florida
A U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II, HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, and Pararescuemen assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing conduct rescue operations for survivors of a downed civilian aircraft off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, on May 12.

U.S. Air Force Reserve crews rescued all 11 occupants of a Beechcraft King Air 300 that ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s east coast on Tuesday morning reportedly following an engine failure.

The 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, recovered the 11 adults from life rafts approximately five hours after the aircraft went down during a flight from Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (formerly Marsh Harbour International), Bahamas (MYAM), to Grand Bahama International Airport (MYGF). The aircraft, registered HP-1859 in Panama, departed Marsh Harbour before the pilot declared an emergency, and communication was lost with air traffic control. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal alerted U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Florida around 11 a.m. local time.