A rescued pilot has been flown back to the Florida mainland after his small plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico off the Pasco County coast Wednesday morning.
The plane, a fixed wing single-engine Piper, crashed five miles off the coast near Aripeka, near the border of Pasco and Hernando Counties.
The U.S. Coast Guard picked up the pilot, who was the only person on board. Authorities said he was able to swim away from the wreckage and used his cell phone to call 911 around 11:30 a.m.
A Coast Guard helicopter flew the uninjured pilot to the Coast Guard base in Clearwater. He has not been identified, but officials said the man is from Knoxville, Tenn.
Information from the Associated Press Press was used in this report.