2 Bodies Recovered From Plane Crash Off Dania Beach
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DANIA BEACH (CBSMiami) -- Two people were found deceased following a plane crash that went down in the ocean off Dania Beach.
Just after 10 a.m. Saturday, Broward Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol said the small Cessna crashed about two miles east of the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, along 100 N. Beach Rd.
About an hour later, a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue aircraft located wreckage and two people roughly one and a half miles south of Port Everglades. They were transferred to Station Fort Lauderdale and pronounced deceased.
"A Broward Sheriff's Air Rescue helicopter was the first out there, over the ocean," said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Mike Jachles. "There was some bad weather a couple miles out, so they were actually diverted from that bad weather. Diverted towards the coast line, when they did encounter what looked like an oil slick and then the small debris field. They confirmed they located the wreckage and the plane was located approximately 200 yards offshore in about 40 feet of water."
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the plane took off from Pompano around 8:30 a.m. and the first distress calls were received around 10 a.m.
A search was suspended after confirming that there weren't other passengers aboard the plane.
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew, the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the Broward County Sheriff's Office Department of Fire and Rescue, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine units, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Department and Seatow also assisted with the search.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation.