Pilot forced to ditch plane in Pacific

• A man flying a Cessna to Hawaii alerts authorities 500 miles out that he is low on fuel and will have to ditch
• Coast Guard rescue crews try to coach the pilot to a safe landing, the officials say
• The plane is owned by American King of South Carolina, an aircraft ferry service

(CNN) -- A 65-year-old man flying from California to Hawaii was forced to ditch his plane in the ocean Friday night 13 miles off the coast of Hilo after running out of gas, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The man was flying a Cessna 310 twin-engine aircraft from Monterey, California, to Hilo when he radioed federal aviation authorities that he was 500 miles out and low on fuel, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard deployed rescue crews aboard a C-130 Hercules and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to intercept the pilot and escort his plane with the hope of coaching him to a safe landing, said Coast Guard Lt. Gene Maestas.

But the plane ran out of fuel and the pilot was forced to ditch, they said.

The rescue crews pulled the pilot out of the water, and transported him to Hilo Medical Center for evaluation, Henderson said.

Authorities did not immediately release the identity of the man, though the aircraft was registered to American King of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, an airplane ferry service.

"We are waiting right now to hear from the Coast Guard about the aircraft," Pablo Bassabe, a company vice president, told CNN.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/3zAtfXvxHYE/index.html

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