First responders rescued three people June 1 after a plane crashed down in the ocean in Vero Beach, Florida.
A multi-agency search and rescue successfully located and rescued the three occupants, consisting of the pilot and two passengers, after an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office helicopter located heat signatures in the water. At around 9:50 p.m., two survivors were found. And shortly after, the third survivor was found and identified himself as the plane’s pilot.
The Sheriff’s officials teamed up with Indian River County Fire Rescue, Indian River Shores Public Safety, Vero Beach Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations.
There were no fatalities reported from the crash, but the survivors were transported to the hospital by the Coast Guard after sustaining minor injuries.
Capt. Joe Abollo, sheriff’s office spokesperson, said the National Transportation Safety Board was notified and was responding to the area Monday.
Here’s what we know about the plane crash so far.
Breaking: 3 rescued after plane crash in ocean off Vero Beach
Plane crashed into ocean near South Beach Park in Vero Beach, Florida
A distress call from the pilot came around 8:24 p.m., indicating the plane was suffering from engine issues, according to Capt. Joe Abollo, the sheriff’s office spokesperson.
Abollo said the call was received as the plane was about 4 miles out and that officials lost contact with the plane about a mile off shore. The location of the crash was described as between 1 and 4 miles off the coast, while the U.S. Coast Guard stated the three were found roughly 2 miles off the coast at about 8:45 p.m.
The crash occurred off the shoreline of South Beach Park in Vero Beach.
The plane that crashed in Vero Beach, Florida was a Cessna Skyhawk
The plane was a single-engine Cessna Skyhawk, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The owner of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk is not listed in FAA records, but the registered address is listed as a home in Hialeah in Miami-Dade County.
The plane took off from Palm Coast and was expected to land in Vero Beach
The aircraft took off from Flagler Executive Airport, in Palm Coast, south of St. Augustine for Vero Beach just before 7 p.m. and was expected to land in Vero Beach around 8:30 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration and Sheriff’s Office records.
There were multiple agencies involved in the Vero Beach plane crash rescue
Search and rescue efforts were carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Indian River Shores Police Department.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations was alerted by the Indian River Shores Police Department of the crash and joined the efforts.
Were there any injuries, fatalities in the Vero Beach plane crash?
The three occupants of the plane included the pilot and two passengers.
There were no fatalities, but the occupants sustained minor injuries. They were taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce after they were transported by the Coast Guard to its headquarters in St. Lucie County, said Assistant Fire Chief Steve Greer.
How common are plane crashes? See Treasure Coast plane crash map
Plane crashes in Florida Treasure Coast’s Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties
The ten most recent plane crashes on the Treasure Coast, excluding June 1, 2025:
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Jan. 30, 2025: The pilot and sole occupant of a downed plane was injured. The plane he was piloting crashed on rural land in Fellsmere.
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Dec. 6, 2024: The pilot of a glider plane died after the aircraft crashed into a median on State Road 60 west of Interstate 95, officials said.
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March 30, 2024: One person was killed in a plane crash in a training flight at Treasure Coast International Airport, and a second person in the airplane was taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said.
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Jan. 23, 2024: A small plane made a “soft landing” in an open field about 7 miles north of the Vero Beach Regional Airport, Tuesday, according to Indian River County sheriff’s officials. The two adults onboard were not injured, officials said.
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Aug. 17, 2023: The crash happened in western St. Lucie County. Officials found two people inside a four-seat Piper plane on private property.
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May 21, 2023: The pilot and lone occupant of a single-engine propeller plane died when his plane crashed in the backyard of a home, according to Martin County Fire Rescue and Sheriff’s Office officials.
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April 7, 2023: The pilot of a single-engine Piper plane died following a crash when the plane appeared to stall ahead of an attempted landing at Sebastian Municipal Airport, according to reports from witnesses and a fire rescue official.
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Sept. 28, 2021: One person was airlifted to the hospital following a plane crash in a field off Southeast Bridge Road near South Florida Grassing Inc.
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Aug. 2, 2021: No one was injured after a Cessna plane landed on Glades Cutoff Road in western Port St. Lucie. The pilot had his 4-year-old son on the plane during the 11:30 a.m. incident.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach plane crash: 3 rescued from ocean. What we know
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