Crews Find Men On Deserted Island

Two men missing since they were forced to ditch their Piper PA23 Aztec in the Atlantic Ocean this weekend were found safe and sound by the Coast Guard on a nearby island.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports John "Jack" Bettencourt, 55, and 58-year-old Mark Zdunczyk departed Cap Hatian, Haiti Saturday morning en route to Exuma, Bahamas... but their plane ran out of fuel over the Acklin Islands, located nearly 400 miles southeast of Miami, and 100 miles northeast of Cuba.

Fortunately, their mayday call was picked up by three commercial airline flight passing nearby -- and a massive search effort was launched by the Coast Guard. Over 10,000 square miles of ocean were searched, using helicopters, a C-130 Hercules, and a cutter.

Crews initially had little luck in spotting any sign of the plane -- until pilots onboard the Herc spotted the wreckage of the downed plane early Sunday afternoon. Shortly after that, they spotted Bettencourt walking on a small island, about a half mile from where the plane went down.

Rescuers found Zdunczyk under a makeshift lean-to shelter. Bettencourt had gone for help.

Both men are reported in good condition at Government Hospital in the Bahamas.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 5304Y        Make/Model: PA23      Description: PA-23-150/160 Apache
  Date: 10/07/2006     Time: 1435

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Serious     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: NASSAU BAHAMAS   State:      Country: BS

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT DITCHED INTO THE OCEAN BETWEEN ACKLIN AND CROOKED ISLANDS UNDER
  UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD SWAM TO THE SHORE, THE
  BAHAMAS

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   0     Ser:   2     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: SOUTH FLORIDA, FL  (SO19)             Entry date: 10/10/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov