2 rescued after plane crashes in Long Island Sound off Connecticut coast

A man and a teenage girl were rescued after their single-engine plane crashed into Long Island Sound south of Branford, Connecticut, around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The plane went into the water near the Thimble Islands about 10 minutes after taking off from Sikorsky Memorial Airport outside of Bridgeport, according to FlightRadar24, an online tracking service. 

Shortly before crashing, the plane put out an SOS call to air traffic controllers who directed the pilot to make an emergency landing at Tweed New Haven Airport, according to a recording of the audio communication with the pilot. However, the plane did not make it that far.

"They declared an emergency and made a turn back toward land, and then put down in the water," said Andrew King, a spokesperson for Tweed.

A Coast Guard spokesman said the plane sank but the two people — a 41-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl — were in the water with only minor injuries when they were rescued by a Coast Guard ship.

"They were wet, cold, and had some cuts on the hands and face," the spokesman said.

The two, who were the only people on the plane, were taken to a dock in Branford for a medical evaluation and then to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment, another Coast Guard spokesman said.

According to the FAA, the airplane was a six-seat Piper PA-32. The agency is investigating the crash.