A father and his son were rescued Sunday afternoon after their small aircraft made an emergency landing in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The plane came down approximately 25 yards from Honeymoon Island State Park.

Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene around 12:38 p.m. According to Deputy Geoff Moore, the pilot executed a safe landing. "Neither subject was injured, and both were able to walk to shore," Moore told WFLA.

The father, who owns the 1974 Mooney M20F aircraft, confirmed that his son, a minor, was unharmed. He sustained only a minor scratch on his hand during the emergency landing. The aircraft was later recovered from the water, with authorities commending the pilot's skill.

"I would assume the pilot must have had some hours under his belt but it's a very impressive feat that no one was injured," Moore told WTSP.

Authorities reported that the plane experienced engine trouble prior to the emergency landing, though specific details were not immediately available.

Witnesses at the scene described the event. Beachgoer Beth Ann Bologna, who was in the water at the time, recounted seeing the plane descend. "I was in my little blue noodle, and the next thing you know, we look down there and I go, 'That's a plane,'" Bologna told WFLA. She added that the aircraft made a "boom, boom boom" sound before landing. "The next thing we knew, a kid popped out and the dad, now we know that put a life preserver on him and then the dad came out," she told WTSP. Bologna, who identified herself as an ex-flight attendant, stated, "it was a perfect landing."

Jet-ski rider Lukas Gendron was approximately 100 feet away when the plane landed. He recounted running to assist, noting, "It's all about making sure people are fine, especially when it comes to something so serious like this." The emergency landing was made around 12.38pm, with Pinellas County authorities praising the pilot's 'impressive' landing in the water

Following the landing, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office dive team observed a small fuel leak into the water. The Dunedin Fire Department monitored the situation, concluding that the leak "did not appear to be a concern at this time." Authorities said the plane was later pulled from the water and that a fuel leak that was being monitored did not appear to be a concern

The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted for further comment. The plane experienced engine trouble before being forced to make the emergency landing, authorities said