Man saved from roof of sinking seaplane after crashing off Florida coast

The pilot was uninjured in the crash

A man was rescued from the roof of his sinking airplane after crashing the vehicle into the ocean off the coast of Florida.

Local law enforcement, with the assistance of a Customs and Border Patrol special marine unit, rescued the man after his plane went down about a half a mile from the George T Lewis Airport in Cedar Key, Florida.

The pilot climbed out of his airplane and stood on its roof to avoid drowning. He was the only occupant of the airplane.

When rescuers found him, his plane was almost entirely submerged, with only the tail and portions of the cockpit, roof and propeller above water.

After they reached the pilot the rescuers called for local EMS services to come to the scene to administer aid.

Michael Matthies, deputy director of marine operations, released a statement after the rescue commending the agents and law enforcement officers who participated.

“The situational awareness and quick actions of the Marine Interdiction Agents and Sheriff’s Deputies prevented a possible human tragedy,” he said. “We are thankful we have the proper resources and trained personnel to perform when incidents like this present themselves.”

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Predergast released a similar statement praising his deputies.

“Thanks to extensive training and keen instincts the AMO agents and our deputies knew exactly how to respond to this situation and facilitated the swift rescue of this individual,” he wrote.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from a nearby runway.

According to authorities, the pilot was uninjured.

CBP has not released information detailing the cause of the crash.