The pilot of a single-engine Cessna 152 made an emergency landing in the Gulf of Mexico off Vanderbilt Beach after the rental plane lost power on Wednesday afternoon.
The plane landed just offshore near the La Playa Beach Resort, 9891 Gulfshore Drive in North Naples, around 4:15 p.m.
The pilot was able to bring the plane down in the water to avoid beach-goers. No one was injured.
Deputies say that licensed pilot Douglas Barnard, 43, an attorney from Largo, and his passenger, Bruce Joseph, 48, an aviation consultant from South Pasadena, Fla., were headed from St. Petersburg to Naples to meet with a client when they called in the emergency landing to the Naples Airport tower.
The plane will be towed to the Naples Airport for the FAA to investigate.
