Metro

Both passengers in plane that crashed into water off Long Island likely dead, officials say

The only two people believed to have been aboard a small plane that crashed off eastern Long Island this afternoon are presumed dead, authorities said.

The Globe Swift took off from nearby Spadaro Airport and went down shortly after 3 p.m. in Moriches Inlet near Fire Island, according to a Coast Guard spokesman.

Witnesses on a nearby jetty called 911.

Emergency responders from the Coast Guard and the Suffolk Police Department were still trying to reach the plane about 30 feet below the surface last night.

Authorities said the plane sank after a good Samaritan tied a line onto it but rescuers couldn’t manage to get its doors opened, authorities said.

“It sank almost immediately,” said Mastic Beach Fire Chief Robert Ubaldo.

“We couldn’t get to the victims. There’s a very swift tide and very windy and rough seas.”

Suffolk County Deputy Police Inspector Christopher Hatton agreed.

“Even on a calm day, the tide at Moriches Inlet is very rough,” Hatton said.

Fifteen divers from seven agencies responded, he added, including “some assistance from civilian and commercial boats.”

A witness said the plane’s tail had come off and could be seen eerily drifting out to sea.