A small plane crashed into Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon, and the pilot and passenger were rescued from the water.
North Kingstown police said they received a distress call around 2:54 p.m. for a plane crash into the bay and that responding personnel found a single-engine aircraft submerged in the water.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed a single-engine Piper PA-24 crashed into Narragansett Bay close to Quonset State Airport just before 3 p.m., NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR reported.
The pilot and passenger, both 48 years old, had managed to get out of the plane and were in the water nearby, police said. They were removed from the water and taken to shore where they were given medical treatment for minor injuries.
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Both people were then taken to Rhode Island Hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
According to Mike Healey, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the two people on board the plane were Paul and Alysia Larson of East Greenwich, WJAR reports.
Healey said Alysia Larson was piloting the plane when it lost power, and the Larsons were able to exit the plane before DEM rescue workers brought them to shore.
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Petty Officer Cipriani at the United States Coast Guard Station at Castle Hill told WJAR that the plane is in two pieces at the bottom of the bay. Crews were working to retrieve the wreckage on Saturday.
There was no immediate word on what caused the plane to crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the crash along with the FAA.
