ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Two people were injured when an airplane crashed into the intracoastal waterway Sunday morning near the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine.
According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the passengers were pulled from the Mooney M20J, a single engine low wing aircraft, around 9:30 a.m. by nearby boaters.
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The pilot of the plane, St. Augustine resident John Bailey, told FHP investigators he was attempting to land at the airport and experienced mechanical failures, according to a crash report from FHP.
The passenger in the airplane, Logan Boehime, suffered minor injuries in the crash. Both he and Bailey were taken to a nearby hospital.
One of the boaters who spoke to News4Jax but asked not to be identified, said he watched the airplane go down near the Vilano boat ramp and helped rescue two passengers from crash.
"We were fishing in a small creek south of St. Augustine airport. Saw it flying lower than usual and it went down about 300 yards from where we were. Both occupants were standing on the wing when we got to them. We pulled them onto the boat and rushed them to the rescue unit close to the Vilano Bridge," the fisherman said.
SJCFR was on the scene of the crash and assessing any environmental damage. FAA was also made aware of the crash.
All inbound and outbound flights were temporarily stopped at the St. Augustine airport, according to the airport's website.