A father and his minor son were rescued this Sunday after the small plane they were traveling in made an emergency landing in the Gulf of Mexico, about 25 meters from Honeymoon Island State Park, on the west coast of Florida.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported that the incident occurred around 12:38 p.m., when a 1974 Mooney M20F aircraft suffered mechanical problems during flight.

According to the sheriff, the pilot managed to ditch the aircraft safely near the beach.

“None of the occupants were injured and both were able to walk to shore,” Officer Geoff Moore told WFLA.

The father, owner of the plane and who asked not to be identified, confirmed that his son was completely unharmed. He only suffered a small scratch on his hand during the landing.

Engine failure forced ditching

Authorities indicated that the aircraft had an engine failure before being forced to descend over the water, although they did not provide further details about the failure.

Subsequently, emergency teams removed the plane from the sea.

Agent Moore described the pilot's maneuver as “impressive.”

"I guess the pilot must have had a lot of flying hours. It's really impressive that no one was hurt," he told WTSP.

Witnesses witnessed the landing

Several people who were on the beach observed the descent of the aircraft.

Beth Ann Bologna, who was in the water when the incident occurred, said she didn't understand what she was seeing at first.

“I was floating in my life preserver when we looked and I said, ‘That's a plane,'” he told WFLA.

The woman recalled hearing several noises coming from the engine before the aircraft hit the water.

After the impact, he watched as the minor got out of the plane first and then his father, who put a life jacket on him.

“It was a perfect landing,” said Bologna, who explained that she previously worked as a flight attendant.

People on the beach came to help

Another witness, Lukas Gendron, who was riding a jet ski about 100 feet from the aircraft, immediately headed to the scene to help.

"It's good to see that many people put everything aside and think about humanity. The important thing was to make sure they were okay," he declared.

Archer Poreda, a visitor from Houston, said he had never witnessed a similar situation.

After ditching, the Sheriff's Office dive team detected a small fuel leak coming from the aircraft.

The Dunedin Fire Department later reported that it continued to monitor the spill, although it indicated it was not an immediate concern.

The authorities did not inform when the cause of the mechanical failure that forced the pilot to make the emergency landing can be officially determined.