St. Petersburg, Florida -- Two people reportedly have minor injuries after their ultralight aircraft flipped while trying to land in the water Thursday morning.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue is on scene at O'Neill's Marina, located at 6701 34th Street South. The owner and pilot of the plane, 74-year-old Rodney Tyoe, said he took off from a strip of beach in Tierra Verde when wind became a factor.
Photo Gallery: Pictures of ultralight in the water
Tyoe said he decended to about 30 feet when a strong gust of wind flipped the plane upside down and they plummeted tail first into Indian Key waters. Tyoe and his passenger Gina Zimmerman, a family friend, were able to get out of their seats and were pulled from the water by a nearby fisherman.
Tyoe was treated on scene for a cut lip, while Zimmerman was transported to the hospital as a precaution for minor injuries.
10 News has learned that the fisherman who first came to their aid was Gus Hertz, who was one of two men who made another daring water rescue just one day earlier.
In that rescue, a man apparently went into diabetic shock and drove his car off the road and into the water at Isla Key Bridge. Hertz saw the accident from his condo window and ran out to help pull the driver out of the water.
Photo Gallery: Car in water
On Thursday morning Hertz once again found himself in the right place at the right time, as he was out on a johnboat fishing when he saw the ultralight go down. St. Pete Fire Rescue says they will be honoring Hertz with a "Citizens Heroic Award" in November.
Florida Fish and Wildlife secured the ultralight with a boom around it. Arrangements have been made to remove the plane from the water.