ORLANDO, Fla. — A small aircraft traveling from the Orlando area to New Jersey crashed near the St. Augustine Inlet on Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

  • Piper PA-46 aircraft crashes near St. Augustine Inlet
  • 2 people on board; they reportedly made a distress call
  • Coast Guard, Navy, Customs personnel helping in search

A Piper PA-46 aircraft with two people on board was heading to New Jersey when the plane crashed about 2 miles east of the inlet, east of Ponte Vedra Beach, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center notified the Coast Guard of a distress call from the plane made at about 9:45 a.m.

Helicopter crews from Coast Guard Air Station Miami and Savannah, Georgia, and a response boat from Coast Guard Station Mayport are searching for the small plane.

Also assisting in the search are personnel from the U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, and St. Johns County and St. Augustine Fire Rescue.

No other information has been released.