Dramatic video captures Florida man’s rescue after plane crashes into Gulf of Mexico: ‘Make it or drown’

A Florida man was rescued on Sunday after his plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post that 40-year-old Adam Joseph Barney was flying an Aero Commander 500 when it crashed into the Gulf.

The sheriff’s office was notified of the crash at 10:18 a.m.

Officials say that the plane crashed three miles off Sawyer Key, an island within the Florida Keys.

Barney suffered no life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash, and deputies say no other passengers were on the plane.

Deputy Trevor Pike transported Barney to paramedics waiting at Cudjoe Key.

In a video of the rescue, Barney told the deputy that he was on his way to pick up a friend when the plane crashed.

The Orlando-based pilot was in the water for around an hour before help arrived, according to the deputy.

“I just started swimming. “I saw the balloon and I knew shore was that way, so I was like, ‘I’ll eventually make it or drown.’ One or the other,” Barney told the deputy.

The US Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted in the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.