Hawaii- The Coast Guard directed the plane to go down near a cruise ship

"A pilot traveling from Tracy, California, to Maui radioed authorities at 12:30 p.m.(Sunday) about plans to ditch a Cirrus SR-22 aircraft because of dwindling fuel.

The Coast Guard directed the plane to go down near a cruise ship, and the pilot deployed a parachute system around 4:45 p.m. and safely got into a life raft. Amid 9- to 12-foot seas and winds of 25 to 28 mph, the cruise-ship crew rescued the pilot, who was in good condition, authorities said.

Coast Guard video shows the plane releasing its parachute and briefly dropping nose-first before leveling out and plopping into the sea. The pilot escapes out the top of the aircraft and drifts away in a small raft from the plane before it rolls over on its top."

Which cruise ship?

The local news here this morning showed the video of the rescue and said the cruise ship was HAL"s Veendam. They also said all of the cruise ship passengers were ordered to stay inside while the rescue took place.

The local news here this morning showed the video of the rescue and said the cruise ship was HAL"s Veendam.

They also said all of the cruise ship passengers were ordered to stay inside while the rescue took place.

Thanks; I was wondering what the passengers saw.

Since it's such an unusual event, they would want pax to stand clear of the rescue scene.

The aircraft was one of the few with a parachute which was used to cushion the landing in the water.

Here's a link to KHON which includes video of the ditching:

http://khon2.com/2015/01/25/pilot-safe-after-ditching-single-engine-airplane-off-maui/

Wow, that is some amazing video! I had no idea a single engine prop could make it across the pacific (Or maybe it cant:rolleyes:)

It had spare tanks installed for the flight, which was a ferry flight to new owners in Hawaii. The problem was mechanical in the fueling system. It had plenty of fuel.