A man was rescued by the Coast Guard after his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.
The plane went down approximately 8 miles southeast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Sunday.
Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District received a distress alert from an emergency locator transmitter at 11:46 a.m.
District watchstanders also received notification from the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center that a Southwest Airlines flight had relayed a mayday call from an unknown aircraft.
They then directed the launch of Coast Guard crews to search the transmitter’s location for signs of distress.
Involved in the search were:
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
A 45-Foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Venice
An HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile
The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 1:04 p.m. and located the man, who was the only person aboard the plane.
The man was in the water and wearing a life jacket.
The aircrew hoisted the man and transported him to West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero.
He is listed in stable condition.
“This is a great example of how being prepared can help the Coast Guard locate and rescue you if you need assistance,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Ward, an aircraft commander at Air Station New Orleans. “Wearing a life jacket and having an emergency locator device onboard, including an emergency position indicating radio beacon onboard a vessel, greatly increases your chances of survival and being rescued.”
