Rhode Island Couple Survives After Plane Crashes into Bay: 'We’re Not Going to Die Today'
Alysia Larson was piloting the Piper aircraft when it lost power and made an emergency landing in Narragansett Bay
Alysia Larson was piloting a Piper aircraft that was carrying her and her husband when they lost power upon approach
Authorities noted how calm the couple were when responders found them treading water
In an interview, she credited her training and faith for their survival
A Rhode Island pilot and her husband are fortunate to be alive after their plane crashed into the water on Saturday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration told PEOPLE that based on preliminary evidence, “a single-engine Piper PA-24 crashed into Narragansett Bay near Quonset State Airport in Rhode Island around 3 p.m. local time on Saturday.”
Local media reports identified the two people on board the plane as Alysia and Paul Larson of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Both were rescued from the bay after the Piper, which Alysia Larson piloted, lost power and made an emergency landing, per NBC affiliate WJAR.
"There was a moment where I was like, 'I'm not sure we're going to make it,"' Larson, a mother of five children, said in an interview Sunday with WJAR. "And then I'm like, 'Nope, we're not going to die today. We're going to make it.' "
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In a statement shared with The Boston Globe, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said authorities were notified at 2:51 p.m. of a plane crash approximately a half-mile off the coast of Quonset. By the time responders arrived, the Larsons were treading water and were given life rings from the crew.
“Responders were struck by how calm the victims were and learned that Alysia was the pilot and that the plane lost power before landing, causing it to crash,” agency spokesperson Michael Healey said in the statement.
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Larson told WJAR that she and her husband are avid flyers.
“I was able to call out a mayday on the radios to Quonset tower,” she said, “and prepared for impact. We both braced, and the next thing we knew, we were in the water.”
Related: 2 Passengers Survive Small Plane Crash That Ended in Fiery Blaze on North Carolina Highway
Larson told the outlet that she never experienced something like that previously but received previous instruction that included open water survival. She also attributed the couple’s survival to her faith.
“I definitely asked God to watch over us and help us,” Larson told CBS affiliate WPRI. "It was amazing that neither of us were injured.”
The couple, who have been married for 26 years, received treatment at Rhode Island Hospital, Larson told WJAR, adding that she and her husband were feeling great and “so grateful to be here with our families…We’re so grateful to all those who assisted us in that endeavor.”
The FAA told PEOPLE that it will investigate the incident along with the National Transportation Safety Board.
PEOPLE reached out to Larson Monday for comment.
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