Two men couldn't believe their luck after surviving a plane crash before being rescued just as their life raft began sinking.
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The men - aged 59 and 51 - were understandably in good spirits when they were winched from the sea by a rescue helicopter off Queensland's Sunshine Coast on Friday.
Neither of them suffered any injuries.
"They were very excited and very happy to be alive," Queensland Ambulance Services' Michael O'Brien told reporters.
The men had departed Caloundra and were heading for the Solomon Islands when their Cessna lost one of its two engines, forcing them to attempt a "controlled ditching" into the sea, Mr O'Brien said.
The ambulance service received reports of a plane crash off Mooloolaba about 9am.
The rescue helicopter quickly located the men in the life boat thanks to a nearby Royal Flying Doctors Service aircraft circling the crash site.
The tail of the crashed Cessna was still bobbing in the water nearby when the helicopter approached.
Minutes later the plane completely submerged, and the raft looked set to join it.
"That life raft was slowly being submerged by water," said Mr O'Brien, a critical care paramedic.
However the two men still remained calm and even gave a thumbs up when the rescue helicopter arrived.
Mr O'Brien said it was "super incredible" that both men emerged unscathed.
"You don't generally find an aircraft accident where there's no injuries," he said.
The rescue went "seamlessly" in what were described as relatively calm conditions.
"It's a great outcome. We are super delighted that they both survived," Mr O'Brien said.
The men were taken to a Sunshine Coast hospital for checks as a precaution.
Australian Associated Press
