Two survivors of a small plane crash on October 8 were rescued from the Pacific Ocean by two co-workers who used a surfboard to transport the victims.
Jason Sandoval told the Mirror that he was in his office in Malibu late in the afternoon when he heard what sounded like a car crash outside. When he was told that a plane had crashed, he looked out the window and saw the wreckage.
The two-seater plane had crashed close to the Malibu Pier, about 25-30 feet off the sand. The plane had broken up on impact and Sandoval saw the two male passengers clinging to the wreckage in the water.
Accompanied by co-worker Mike Dwyer, Sandoval ran down to the beach, in the process grabbing his surfboard.
“We got the two guys,” said Sandoval. “We were moving them on the surfboard toward the shore but then we saw a lifeguard boat in close proximity. We flagged them down and we took them onto the lifeguard boat.”
The two men were airlifted to USC Medical Center’s Trauma Center. According to Inspector Frank Garrido of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the men sustained severe injuries. There has been no further information on their condition.
The airplane was described as a single-engine Sky Arrow 600 that had taken off from Santa Monica Airport.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
