Pilot Safely Ditches Twin-Engine Aircraft in Shallow Waters Off Boca Raton

A Piper PA30 twin-engine propeller aircraft went down in shallow waters off Boca Raton on Saturday morning at 9:40 a.m., drawing the attention of beachgoers who witnessed the dramatic landing. The aircraft, which had departed from Page Field in Fort Myers bound for South Bimini Airport in the Bahamas, encountered mechanical troubles approximately 15 miles west of Boca Raton, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Pilot Faith Tenkley, 23, reported that the plane’s right engine failed during flight while she was en route to retrieve her parents. Facing a non-functional landing gear and a fuel-laden aircraft, Tenkley made the decision to avoid a traditional landing at Boca Raton Airport, fearing the heavy fuel load could ignite upon impact. Instead, she located an empty stretch of shallow water for the ditching.

Tenkley navigated around coastal structures and paddleboarders before executing the water landing in what she described as a controlled descent. Rescue personnel from Boca Raton Ocean Rescue, the Boca Raton Police Department, and lifeguards responded promptly to the scene near 250 South Ocean Boulevard. No injuries were sustained in the incident, and wreckage removal operations commenced the following morning.