They reportedly sustained only minor injures in the crash.
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The pilot of the twin-engine Piper PA23 reported engine problems before ditching in the ocean about 27 miles northwest of Kona, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
There was no immediate word on the plane.
With those details, the Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter to the reported site of wreckage.
McMahon was logging hours by flying from Barbers Point to Maui to Kona when the plane crashed.
The father of a pilot says he’s “big-time relieved” the Coast Guard found his son alive in the water off Hawaii almost a day after the plane he was flying disappeared from radar.
Despite surviving both the crash and a night in the ocean, Molle said they only required treatment for minor injuries. He said he was on his way from Oahu to the Big Island on Friday to see his son, a Kailua, Oahu, resident and a commercial pilot for Mokulele Airlines.
McMahon radioed about an air emergency Thursday afternoon.
It was about 25 miles northwest of Kona when the tower lost contact with the pilot and the plane no longer appeared on the radar.
Rescue swimmer Kevin Cleary described to Hawaii News Now the unforgettable feeling of bringing the two to Kona Airport and seeing them reunite with their families.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle says a helicopter crew plucked the man and woman out of the water about six miles northeast of the Kona airport at about 11:35 a.m. Friday. McMahon and Uemoto were trying to swim to shore near the Kona Hawaiian island.
Searching Friday morning were an HC-130 Hercules airplane, MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, Navy MH-60R helicopter, the USS Chung Hoon, USGS Galveston Island, as well as worldwide assets, including a P3 aircraft out of New Zealand, participating in RIMPAC 2016 exercises, said Carr.
Fortunately for McMahon and Uemoto, extra air support was in the area thanks to the annual Rim of the Pacific military exercise.
News sources report that 26-year-old David McMahon, of Kailua was one of the two individuals on board. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force also joined in the search. The Chung Hoon, Royal New Zealand air force and U.S. Air Force HC-130 are participating in RIMPAC 2016.
Now searching are HC-130 Hercules airplane crews and MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews from Air Station Barbers Point with a Navy MH-60R helicopter crew from the USS Chung Hoon (DDG-93).
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The plane’s pilot radioed about an air emergency at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.
