23-Year-Old Pilot Uninjured, Swims To Shore After Ditching Plane In Atlantic Ocean

Published Aug 24, 2026, 10:25 AM EDT A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. Beachgoers in Boca Raton, Florida, were treated to an unexpected and dramatic sight on Saturday morning when a twin-piston Piper monoplane from the PA-30 Twin Comanche series ditched in the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft's sole occupant was its pilot, a 23-year-old woman by the name of Faith Tenkley. Tenkley had been flying her family's plane to the Bahamas to pick up her parents at the time. However, mechanical failures cut her flight short. She had initially been planning to land in Boca Raton itself, but, with these issues also affecting Tenkley's landing gear, she ultimately had to ditch the plane in the sea, and succeeded in doing so without causing any injury to herself or other beachgoers. The aircraft, however, is thought to have been considerably damaged as a result of its dip in the sea. Landing Gear Issues Forced The Plane To Ditch According to the Aviation Safety Network, Tenkley's aircraft was a Piper PA-39, a variant of the aforementioned PA-30 series that is distinctive for its counter-rotating propellers. It bore the registration N40439, and was built back in 1971. Tracking data made available by Flightradar24 shows that she departed from Page Field (FMY) in Fort Myers at 8:55 AM local time on Saturday, August 22, 2026. She was bound for South Bimini Airport (BIM) in the Bahamas, with The Independent noting that she was planning to pick up her parents on arrival. However, after just over an hour in the air, and 15 miles (24 km) west of Boca Raton, a series of mechanical issues prompted her to divert, initially aiming for Boca Raton Airport (BCT) itself. However, this proved impossible, with a witness telling local media that: "The plane was making a slow descent and delicately landed into the water." Tenkley Was Taken To Hospital As A Precaution Credit: Wikimedia Commons (File Photo) Indeed, Tenkley's existing mechanical issues were reportedly compounded by a landing gear failure. This meant that, rather than touching down at Boca Raton Airport as planned, her best bet was to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the Florida coast. She did so as well as could possibly have been hoped for in the circumstances, and was uninjured as a result of the aircraft's impact with the sea. Tenkley, who has been a licensed pilot for four years now, was swiftly attended to by emergency services, with a lifeguard reportedly arriving on the scene within a minute of the ditching. They were later followed by a rescue boat from the fire department. Despite Tenkley being uninjured and able to swim to shore, The Independent notes that she was later taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. In any case, her actions won favor with local pilots. Indeed, one told WPBF photojournalist Marcus Giordano that "the most important part they teach you in emergency support or anything is to fly the airplane all the way down. Based on the fact that it's all in one piece, (...) it seems like the pilot did that." Another said that "radio issues, lost communications, and an engine failure" were among the key factors. More On The Piper PA-30 Series The Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche is a popular US-built twin piston engine monoplane series that was manufactured from 1961 to 1972. The PA-30 itself was the primary variant of this family, with some 2,001 units having been delivered over the years. Tenkley's aircraft, however, was an example of the PA-39 model, which differs in the sense that it has counter-rotating propellers. 155 PA-39s were built. Piper also later developed a turbocharged version of the PA-39 known as the Turbo Twin Comanche C/R, as well as a separate model with a modified fuselage and new wings that was known as the PA-40 Arapho. However, this variant was ultimately canceled after just three prototypes were built.