2 rescued after small plane crashes near Rhode Island airport

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) — Two people were rescued from the water after their small plane crashed into a bay near a Rhode Island airport, authorities said.

The aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon into Narragansett Bay, shortly after taking off from Quonset State Airport, the North Kingstown Fire Department said.

Battalion Chief William Maccarone said the plane had already sunk when he arrived about eight minutes after the crash.

“We had a rough location of between one-half and one mile (0.8 to 1.6 kilometers) off of the end of the runway,” Maccarone told WPRI-TV.

Multiple agencies pitched in to rescue the pilot and passenger, who were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, authorities said.

“These folks were basically hypothermic from being in the water, bumps and bruises,” Maccarone said.

The temperature of the bay on Saturday was nearly 43 degrees, or 6 degrees Celsius, according to Seatemperture.info, which uses satellite data and observations to get water temperatures.

The crash is under investigation.