They were adrift in the Atlantic for five hours before they even knew help was on the way—and they only knew when it arrived. Officials say 11 people survived a Tuesday plane crash roughly 80 miles off Melbourne, Fla., then crowded into a life raft with no way to call for help. Their emergency locator beacon triggered a search, however: CBS News reports Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty said at a news conference on Wednesday that there's "a certain amount of impact when it hits land or water. It can trigger that sensor which will go off and give notifications."
WESH cites the FAA in reporting that the plane, a Beechcraft BE-30, departed Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas en route to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when it went down. NBC News reports an Air Force Reserve crew training in the area diverted to the scene, spotting the group sheltering under a tarp. "For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous," said Piowaty.
Rescuers first dropped food, water, and basic survival gear before retrieving them. Capt. Rory Whipple said the group's physical and mental strain was obvious: "You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress," and they had no idea anyone was coming "until we were directly overhead." The rescue team battled rough seas and tight fuel windows but completed the mission, which Lt. Col. Matt Johnson described as swift and focused.
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