A pilot departing from Northern California safely ditched his plane Sunday afternoon after his single-engine aircraft ran out of fuel over the Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The unidentified pilot contacted the Hawaii National Guard at 12:30 p.m. to report that he had only three hours worth of fuel left and would be ditching the Cirrus SR-22 230 miles northeast of Maui, Hawaii, a Coast Guard release stated.
A camera was rolling as he deployed the plane’s airframe parachute system at around 4:45 p.m. and landed safely in the water. He was able to then climb out of the plane and get into a life raft.
At that point, he was approximately 253 miles northeast of Maui, according to the release.
Authorities with the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu identified a cruise ship in the area and coordinated his rescue.
The man was brought aboard the ship in good condition shortly before 5:30 p.m. His plane was last seen partially submerged in the ocean, the release stated.
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane assisted the pilot during the ditching and maintained communication with him at all times until he boarded the cruise ship.
The flight had been headed to Kahului, Maui from Tracy, California, according to the Coast Guard.
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