Local 10 News
A young pilot survived a terrifying mid-air crisis by executing a controlled emergency landing just off a crowded Florida beach. Faith Tenkley, 23, was flying to the Bahamas to pick up her parents when her dual-engine plane suffered severe mechanical failure roughly 15 miles off Boca Raton. Facing a broken landing gear and an engine failure, she elected to ditch the aircraft in open water rather than risk a fire by bringing down the heavily fueled aircraft on land. She expertly guided the descending plane into shallow waters, dodging beachgoers and swimmers before paddling safely to shore as onlookers watched in awe. “After deciding a landing at Boca Raton Airport was not the safest option, I continued to the coast. During the descent, my primary focus was ensuring the safety of everyone around me,” Tenkley said. “I was able to navigate toward open water, successfully avoiding all nearby buildings, paddleboarders, and swimmers (as well as individuals using metal detectors). I am incredibly fortunate and relieved to share that I was able to swim away from this incident.” Emergency crews later retrieved the submerged aircraft, and authorities are investigating the mechanical failure.
