VERO BEACH — A small plane that took off from the Bahamas with 11 people aboard crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the Vero Beach coast on Tuesday, FAA officials said. The incident happened about 50 miles east of the Vero Beach Regional Airport.
Details on the circumstances of the crash were limited.
“Reportedly, all (occupants) are accounted for and are being brought to emergency medical services for further evaluation,” U.S. Coast Guard Southeast officials said in a statement. “The cause of the crash is unknown.”
A Beechcraft BE30 plane departed from the Leonard M. Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour and was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, FAA officials said. The turboprop engine, fixed-wing plane went down in the ocean about 12:05 p.m.
There were reports of storms offshore about the time of the crash, said Robert Haley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne. FAA officials will release a preliminary crash report on Wednesday.
No further information was immediately available.
