7 October 2011, Cessna 310, near Hawaii: The US Coast Guard rescued a pilot who was forced to ditch his Cessna 310 aircraft approximately 13 miles from Hawaii. The pilot, who was flying solo from Monterey, CA, contacted the FAA when he was about 500 miles from Hawaii, estimating that he would run out of fuel about 100 miles short of the island chain. The FAA contacted the Coast Guard, which dispatched an HC-130 Hercules aircraft, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, and the USCG cutter Kiska to assist the Cessna.
The Hercules aircrew maintained communications with the pilot and guided him toward the helicopter and the cutter. After a successful ditching, the pilot climbed out of the cockpit onto the wing, and was rescued by the crew of the helicopter. The Dolphin aircrew deployed a rescue swimmer to pick up the pilot. The rescue swimmer hoisted the pilot into the Dolphin and the aircrew transported him to Hilo Medical Center. The 65-year-old pilot was not seriously injured.
