A 23-year-old pilot’s courage in safely ditching her twin-engine Piper in the Atlantic Ocean off Boca Raton, Fla., this weekend was matched by her calm humility in a statement thanking others rather than her own heroism.
“During the descent, my primary focus was ensuring the safety of everyone around me,” Faith Tenkley, 23, said in a statement to Fox News. “I was able to navigate toward open water, successfully avoiding all nearby buildings, paddleboarders and swimmers (as well as individuals using metal detectors).”
Viral video shared on social media showed the unusual and markedly smooth water landing Saturday morning as onlookers gasped; yet, video showed a man with a metal detector keenly focused on his beach treasure hunt as the stunning events unfolded around him.
Tenkley, meanwhile, was dodging buildings and a busy beach while trying to find a safe way to land a crippled aircraft.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude for the concern and support following my unexpected water landing yesterday,” her Sunday statement began. “I am incredibly fortunate and relieved to share that I was able to swim away from this incident.
“After deciding a landing at Boca Raton Airport was not the safest option, I continued to the coast.”
Cleared by air traffic control (ATC) to land on a runway, her landing gear was malfunctioning, leaving her concerned about a hard landing with a plane still full of fuel.
“I want to extend my thanks to ATC for being prepared, as well as the lifeguards, firefighters and the police officers whose rapid response and professionalism ensured everyone’s safety – as well as any witnesses who called for help,” her statement concluded. “Thank you all for your kind messages.”
Tenkley, who has been flying for four years, was the only person aboard her family’s twin-engine Piper PA-30 when it developed mechanical trouble Saturday on a flight from Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, to Bimini in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
She was flying to the Bahamas to pick up her parents when the trouble began about 15 miles west of Boca Raton. She initially planned to divert to Boca Raton Airport before the plane’s landing gear malfunctioned and its right engine failed.
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As she approached the coast, Tenkley guided the disabled plane to the open stretch of water just offshore.
Video captured by a beachgoer shows the aircraft descending low over the busy Boca Raton beach before gently landing on the ocean’s surface. The Piper remained largely intact as Tenkley, wearing a bikini, swam away from the aircraft with the help of a lifeguard who arrived in moments to assist.
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A Boca Raton Ocean Rescue fire boat arrived shortly afterward. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution and was not reported injured.
The footage initially prompted confusion online, with some viewers mistakenly believing Tenkley was a surfer helping a male pilot. She had removed a long skirt she was wearing over her bikini to swim to shore, she told Gulf Coast News.
