11 rescued off Florida coast with help from 920th Rescue Wing

Eleven people were rescued from a life raft in the Atlantic after a civilian twin‑engine turboprop went down about 80 miles east of Melbourne, Florida, on May 12, according to the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing.

A distress alert from the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter reached Coast Guard watchstanders around 11 a.m. Tuesday, prompting a multiagency search. A 920th HH‑60W Jolly Green II helicopter already airborne on a training sortie was diverted to the area and joined U.S. Coast Guard and additional Air Force rescue assets in the response, the wing said.

The HH‑60W crew located a life raft near the downed aircraft and hoisted 11 Bahamian adults aboard. The survivors were flown to Melbourne Orlando International Airport and transferred to waiting emergency medical teams. All were reported to be in stable condition.

“This rescue highlights the readiness, professionalism and interoperability our Airmen train for every day,” said Col. Chadd Bloomstine, 920th Operations Group commander. “Our crews were already airborne conducting training when the call came in, and they immediately transitioned from training to real-world rescue operations alongside our Coast Guard and interagency partners. We are proud to have played a role in bringing 11 people home safely.”

A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater C‑27 Spartan and an HC‑130J Combat King II from Patrick Space Force Base also assisted in locating the aircraft and raft, officials said.

The plane had departed Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and was headed to Freeport when it experienced an engine failure, according to the release. Bahamian authorities will lead the investigation into the cause.

The 920th Rescue Wing, the Air Force Reserve’s sole combat search‑and‑rescue unit, regularly performs rescue and training missions in coordination with civil agencies and in support of national defense and humanitarian operations.