Coast Guard rescues man after plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico

SOUTHWEST PASS, La. (WVUE) - A man was rescued from a small plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday afternoon (Sept. 15), according to the United States Coast Guard.

The plane went down shortly before noon, the Coast Guard said, roughly eight miles southeast of Southwest Pass.

A helicopter crew arrived on the scene just after 1 p.m. and found the man in the water, wearing a life jacket. The man was lifted out of the water and brought to West Jefferson Medical Center in stable condition, the Coast Guard said.

No one else was on the plane at the time of the crash, according to the Coast Guard.

Lt. Cmdr. Brian Ward, an aircraft commander at Air Station New Orleans said this best-case scenario crash is a “great example” of how being prepared can save your life.

“Wearing a life jacket and having an emergency locator device on board, including an emergency position indicating radio beacon on board a vessel, greatly increases your chances of survival and being rescued," Ward said.