The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people after a small plane crashed into Lake Michigan following a mid-flight problem.
The U.S. Coast Guard and other rescue and dive teams responded to the incident at about 12:45 p.m. Sept. 11. The three people were undergoing medical evaluations, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Lauofo. The exact condition of the three was not known.
The crash occurred about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Milwaukee, Lauofo said. Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through water and are slightly longer than a land mile.
In an email, a spokesperson with the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport said the plane left the airport at about 12:17 p.m. and was headed towards Michigan when it went into the water at about 12:37 p.m. The airport spokesperson said there were no details available on the nature of the emergency.
The Coast Guard was notified of the incident at 12:45 p.m. and sent a helicopter and a 45-foot rescue boat to the plane’s location, Lauofo said.
The plane was a Cirrus SR22 aircraft, which is a small single-engine propeller plane, the airport spokesperson said.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Coast guard rescues three from small plane downed in Lake Michigan near Milwaukee
Reporting by David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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