Seaplane takes on water after safely landing in St. Johns River

No injuries reported in incident

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. – A seaplane took on water and began to sink after landing in the St. Johns River near the Renegades on the River restaurant Saturday, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. 

The pilot of the seaplane safely landed the aircraft near the restaurant, but shortly after landing, the plane began to take on water and started to sink, officials said. 

A captain with Welaka Charters, Mark Holz, said rescue crews showed up quickly after a plane began to sink. 

"I showed up this morning to get some boats ready, and saw some emergency vehicles show up," Holz said. "I was pretty concerned until I found out nobody was hurt."

Holz said it's common for seaplanes to practice landing in the area, but he's never seen a situation like this. 

Fire rescue crews attached floats to the airplane to prevent it from sinking, and it was towed to the Mount Royal Airport. 

A U.S. Coast Guard aircraft happened to be in the area and assisted until rescue vessels arrived.

According to officials, the pilot was the only person on board the plane and was uninjured.