Bodycam Footage Released in Boca Raton Emergency Plane Landing

Newly released body camera video shows the response after a 23-year-old pilot made an emergency landing in the ocean off Boca Raton, Florida, last month. The footage, obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday, captures police and fire rescue crews helping pilot Faith Tenkley after she brought her twin-engine Piper PA-30 down in the water on Aug. 22.

Footage Details Rescue

In the video, a Boca Raton police officer is heard confirming with Tenkley that she was the only person on the plane. ‘You are the only one on the plane, right?’ the officer asks. Another responder is heard saying, ‘Everybody’s accounted for and OK.’

The footage also shows the plane floating in shallow water about 50 yards offshore as marine units arrived. Officers moved beachgoers away from the area because of concerns about fuel leaking from the aircraft. ‘There’s going to be jet fuel leaking into the water,’ an officer can be heard telling people on the beach.

Tenkley was helped onto a stretcher and into an EMS vehicle. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution, and no injuries were reported.

Pilot’s Account

Tenkley later told Gulf Coast News that she was flying from Page Field in Fort Myers to South Bimini Airport in the Bahamas when she began experiencing mechanical problems about 15 miles west of Boca Raton. She said the plane’s right engine failed and the landing gear broke.

She had been cleared to land at Boca Raton Airport but was concerned that attempting a hard landing with a significant amount of fuel still aboard could cause a fire. Instead, she chose to land in the water. Tenkley said she maneuvered around buildings and paddleboarders along the coast before finding an open area to make a smooth landing.

In a statement to Fox News, Tenkley said, ‘During the descent, my primary focus was ensuring the safety of everyone around me.’ She also said she felt ‘incredibly fortunate and relieved’ to have been able to swim away from the incident.

No Serious Injuries

Tenkley walked away with only minor scratches and bruises. The decision to land in the water kept the crash from injuring anyone else on the beach. The aircraft was removed from the water the following morning. The Boca Raton Ocean Rescue, Boca Raton Police Department and Boca Raton Fire Rescue responded to the scene.

The cause of the emergency landing remains under investigation. Authorities have not announced any new findings since the release of the body camera footage.