2 people rescued after small plane crashes in waters off Quonset Point. What we know.

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Two people were rescued and taken to a local hospital after a small plane missed a landing and crashed into the waters off Quonset Point on Saturday afternoon, according to local authorities.

At around 4:30 p.m., Rhode Island Airport Corporation spokesman John Goodman told The Journal: "A Piper Comanche crashed into Narragansett Bay close to Quonset State Airport. The two passengers onboard were rescued and taken to hospital. State police and other agencies are onsite."

"The incident is being investigated and we are unable to comment further at this time," he said.

But Mike Healey, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, said DEM got an 911 alert about the plane crash at around 2:51 p.m. and was able to quickly dispatch a crew of four marine police officers from its marine base in Wickford.

By the time they arrived at 2:58 p.m., Healey said, the plane had already sunk and a man and woman were treading water about a half mile off Quonset. He identified the two as Paul and Alysia Larson, both 49, of East Greenwich.

Healey said DEM subsequently learned the woman was the pilot, and they were attempting a landing when the plane lost power.

By 3:01 p.m., Healey said, "Our guys had pulled the two ... into our boat," which was then met at a nearby harbor by North Kingstown Fire and Rescue. He said DEM rescue swimmer Jeff Mercer noted that, despite what had just happened, the two were "extremely calm."

The crash of the single-engine Piper PA-24 will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, according to an FAA spokesperson.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 2 rescued after small plane crashes in waters off Quonset Point in RI