Emergency Water Landing Success
Pilot Executes Controlled Emergency Water Landing Off Boca Raton Coast After Mechanical Failures
Key Points
The Boca Raton Airport allowed an emergency landing clearance for the aircraft before the gear/engine failures forced a diversion to the Atlantic.
The water landing occurred about two miles east of Boca Raton Airport, with the crash happening around 9:40 a.m. as the plane touched down in open water.
responders, including a lifeguard and a fire-rescue boat, arrived within minutes after the splashdown; the U.S. Coast Guard was also involved in the emergency response.
The downed airplane was later moved to Silver Palm Park in Boca Raton for FAA teardown/disassembly.
A witness, Maria Marquez, described the moment to WPBF with a vivid account of the surreal scene and asked, in effect, whether what she saw was real.
A 23-year-old pilot named Faith Tenkley walked away uninjured after executing a controlled water landing in the Atlantic Ocean off Boca Raton, Florida, when her Piper PA-30 twin-engine plane suffered gear and engine failures CBS 12. Facing a high fuel load and the risk of fire from a gear-up landing on pavement, Tenkley steered toward open ocean instead of attempting a dangerous crash near the airport, touching down around 9:40 a.m. several miles east of Boca Raton Airport News-Press.
Why She Chose the Ocean Over Land
Tenkley had been flying from Fort Myers toward the Bahamas when both her landing gear and an engine failed Bradenton. A forced landing on a paved runway would have created sparks and friction — a major fire risk with the heavy fuel load she was carrying. The ocean offered a safer alternative: a soft landing surface with no buildings or people below.
A Textbook Emergency Landing in Open Water
As the Piper descended toward the Atlantic, witnesses saw the plane weave past buildings and paddleboarders in a clear display of pilot skill CBS 12. Responders, including lifeguards and a fire-rescue boat, arrived within minutes after the splash. The U.S. Coast Guard also joined the emergency response News-Press. Tenkley exited the aircraft unharmed and was assisted by first responders as the plane gradually sank into deeper water.
Witness Describes the Surreal Moment
Bystander Maria Marquez described the scene to local media as almost dreamlike. She struggled to process what she had just seen unfold in real time — a small aircraft coming down in the ocean, its tail eventually the only visible part above water hours after the crash CBS 12.
Plane Recovered and FAA Investigation Begins
The wreckage was pulled from the Atlantic and moved to Silver Palm Park in Boca Raton for FAA teardown and investigation Bradenton. The recovery effort marked the end of the emergency but the beginning of formal procedures to determine the exact cause of the dual failures. Tenkley has four years of piloting experience and was attempting to reunite with her parents in the Bahamas when the emergency occurred.
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