Pilot Faith Tenkley Ditches Twin-Engine Piper Off Boca Raton at 23, Avoiding Crowded Beach

Q: What critical mechanical failure forced a Bahamas-bound aircraft to suddenly plunge into Florida coastal waters?

The aircraft was reportedly hit by a dual mechanical emergency: its landing gear failed and its right engine went out. According to follow-up reporting and the pilot’s own account, the twin-engine Piper was flying from Fort Myers to Bimini when mechanical problems began near Boca Raton. She initially intended to divert to Boca Raton Airport, but after the landing gear broke, a runway landing became far riskier. The situation worsened when the plane’s right engine failed. With substantial fuel still on board, the pilot feared a hard belly landing on land could trigger a fire. She instead chose a controlled ditching in the ocean, where witnesses said the aircraft descended smoothly and avoided people on the beach and in the water. Authorities have said the exact cause of those failures remains under FAA investigation, but the immediate problem forcing the water landing was the combination of the broken landing gear and the loss of the right engine.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 24

23-year-old Faith Tenkley said she rejected a Boca Raton Airport landing and steered her disabled Piper into open water to protect swimmers, paddleboarders and nearby buildings.
A landing-gear malfunction and right-engine failure hit the family’s Piper PA-30 about 15 miles west of Boca Raton during a flight from Fort Myers to Bimini to pick up her parents.
Video from Saturday morning showed the plane descending low over a busy beach before a smooth ocean landing; Tenkley swam away and a lifeguard reached her within moments.
Boca Raton authorities praised her quick, professional decisions, while Tenkley thanked air traffic control, lifeguards, firefighters, police and witnesses who called for help.
The FAA said she was the only person aboard and is investigating the incident, which left the aircraft largely intact in the Atlantic.