6 Are Rescued, but 1 Later Dies After Plane Ditches in Atlantic

Six people were pulled from the Atlantic Wednesday night and one man later died after their chartered plane developed engine trouble and ditched in the water south of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“The pilot reported having engine trouble,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Patrick Sweeney. “He lost power in one engine and could not hold altitude.”

Port Authority police Sgt. Gene Larry said four passengers and two crew members were on the Long Island Air charter plane that was flying from Atlantic City, N.J., to Republic Airport in Farmingdale.

The pilot reported having trouble with the twin-engine Navajo and was diverted to Kennedy before ditching in the Atlantic, four miles south of the airport, about 8:50 p.m., Larry said.

Police and Coast Guard rescue craft were dispatched, and a helicopter spotted people in the water, Sweeney said.

One man died at Coney Island Hospital after going into cardiac arrest, said Tom Kelly, a police spokesman. Another person was in stable condition. The conditions of the other four were not immediately available.