Hunt for pilot after light aircraft plummets into the sea off Sussex coast near beach packed with families
Two coastguard helicopters and lifeboats are involved in the rescue operation
A RESCUE operation has been launched after a light aircraft ditched into the sea off the Sussex coast.
The small plane came down as horrified people looked on, about half a mile off Rye Harbour in East Sussex just after 5pm this afternoon.
Witnesses reported seeing the light aircraft “bouncing” out of control across the waves before it flipped over and sank beneath the water.
Two coastguard helicopters and two lifeboats were searching for the pilot last night in the sea about half a mile off Rye Harbour, as wreckage began to wash ashore.
One man said: “I saw what I thought was a speedboat whizzing along, and I thought, ‘God that’s going fast’.
“Then it just went up in the air, flipped over and went down and floated on the surface for quite a while - maybe half a minute.
“Then it just disappeared and you couldn’t see it anymore. The police said that somebody reported they were having trouble with the engine.”
Another witness added: “We saw we thought it was a boat at first, going along the water. Suddenly it hit the water and bounced a couple of times and flipped over. And it just sunk - its tail went up in the air, and it sunk. It was a plane.”
A Coastguard spokeswoman said: “UK Coastguard coordinated a search for a light aircraft which ditched into the sea half a mile from Rye Harbour in East Sussex.
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“The alarm was raised at 5.05pm and reports indicated one person was on board the aircraft.
“The aircraft and pilot have not been found and the current search is likely to continue until dusk.”
“Both lifeboats and their volunteer crews are conducting searches about three quarters of a mile offshore between Winchelsea beach and Pett Level beach.
“Also involved in the incident are Rye Harbour and Dungeness Coastguard rescue teams and two Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters.”
Cops appealed for witnesses to come forward and a Sussex Police spokesman said: “Just after 5pm on Saturday we received a report from a member of the public that a light aircraft had been seen to go into the sea about half a mile off Winchelsea Beach.
“A Coastguard helicopter has been searching the area, and we are in contact with them.
“Initial reports suggest that the aircraft comes from a local Aero Club and that the man flying it was the sole occupant.”
This comes weeks after a 19-year-old tourist died after getting into difficulty in the waters off Camber Sands, down the coast from Rye.
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