Pilot suffers serious injuries after plane went down off Hawaii coast
Stunned tourists find a seriously-injured pilot floating in the sea after he ejected from his military jet as it crashed off the coast of Hawaii
- The pilot, whose name has not been released, safely ejected from the plane before it crashed on Wednesday afternoon
- He was rescued three miles south of Oahu near Sand Island by a private sailboat
- The US Coast Guard identified him as a civilian contractor for the Hawaii Air National Guard who was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha
A group of tourists on a day trip off the coast of Hawaii were stunned to find the miracle pilot who had survived a military plane crash floating in the sea next to their boat.
Dramatic footage shows seriously injured airman Matt Pothier bobbing in the water just before his rescue yesterday.
He is seen clinging to debris surrounded by the wreckage of his aircraft – a British-made Hawker Hunter plane.
#BREAKING: Here's new video of a pilot being rescued shortly after a jet crashed off Honolulu while participating in a military exercise. The 47-year-old was taken to a hospital in serious condition.
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The day-trippers looking over the edge of the boat call out ‘Are you okay?’ to Pothier and ‘Don’t get tangled up in anything’ to the rescuer who has swum out to reach him.
The jet crashed into the ocean around 2.25pm local time on Wednesday after taking off from the Honolulu airport. It is unclear what caused the crash.
The moment both aircraft and pilot plunged into the sea a few miles south of Oahu near Honolulu’s Sand Island was also captured on camera.
#BreakingNews: The Surfline Waikiki camera captured the entire crash. You can see the jet flying low. The pilot ejects, then the aircraft enters the water with a huge splash. The camera moves away from the scene almost immediately after the crash.
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Webcam footage from Surfline.com, which monitors surfing conditions, shows the jet hurtling rapidly toward the ocean.
Pothier can be seen ejecting and deploying his parachute seconds before the plane enters the water with a huge white splash.
The 47-year-old appears to have suffered traumatic injuries after ejecting safely from the plane, and has been hospitalized in a serious condition according to a statement from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. After his initial rescue by a private sailboat he was transferred to the US Coast Guard.
Last night Pothier’s wife said he was in good spirits and recovering, Hawaii News Now reported.
She added that other pilots stopped by Pothier’s hospital room to give him their best wishes, and that they are grateful his injuries are not life-threatening.
A 47-year-old military pilot whose plane crashed off the coast of Honolulu during an exercise with the Hawaii National Guard on Wednesday has been hospitalized with serious injuries. A US Coast Guard vessel and other rescue boats are pictured responding to the crash
The US Coast Guard said the civilian contractor for the Hawaii Air National Guard was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha.
The exercise was temporarily suspended after the crash and will resume Thursday morning.
Flights departing from the Honolulu airport were held on the ground for about 20 minutes after the plane went down as a precaution, according to a state Department of Transportation spokesman.
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