NEW ORLEANS — Two men were rescued by the Coast Guard after their airplane crashed 28 miles east of South Pass in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday.
Rescued were Theodore Wright and Raymond Fosdick of Baytown, Texas.
The International Emergency Response Coordination Center notified 8th Coast Guard District command center watchstanders that they had recieved a spot beacon alert from a Beechcraft 55 Baron that was flying from Baytown, Texas to Sarasota, Fla.
Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter and crew to the estimated position of the aircraft.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft in the area spotted two men floating in the water and relayed that information to the helicopter crew.
The helicopter crew hoisted the men aboard and took them to awaiting EMS personnel at the Naval Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse.
Theodore Wright declined further medical attention, and Raymond Fosdick was taken to Ochsner Medical Center — West Bank Campus.
"Those guys were complete professionals and definitely knew what they were doing," said Theodore Wright. "We were very happy when we saw them arrive."
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
For Coast Guard video of the rescue, click here.