{"id":41666,"date":"2019-09-16T21:08:41","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T21:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/16\/coasties-fish-downed-pilot-from-the-gulf-of-mexico\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:47:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:47:05","slug":"coasties-fish-downed-pilot-from-the-gulf-of-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/09\/16\/coasties-fish-downed-pilot-from-the-gulf-of-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Coasties fish downed pilot from the Gulf of Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Coast Guard rescued a pilot after his small, single-engine plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans hoisted Robert Hodges, 65, out of the water a little more than an hour after the crash about eight miles off Southwest Pass, Louisiana, and transported him to West Jefferson Medical Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe last word we had was that he was in stable condition,\u201d said Coast Guard spokesman Public Affairs Specialist 3rd Class John Michelli on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rescue operation began after watchstanders at the 8th Coast Guard District in New Orleans received a distress alert from an emergency locator transmitter at 11:46 a.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning echoed a notification received from the Houston Air Route Traffic Control that a Southwest Airlines flight had relayed a mayday call from an unknown aircraft, plus three international air distress frequency pings from helicopters near the transmitter\u2019s location, officials told Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\t