Plane Towing Marriage Proposal Banner Crashes

A plane towing a banner, "Will you marry me," turned into a plea, "Will you help me?" after the pilot had to ditch into Rhode Island's Block Island Sound.

The pilot, Mark Simmons, owner of Simmons Aviation, based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, was pulled out of the water by a passing boater, who notified the Coast Guard of the rescue after Simmons' plane experienced engine troubles.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to Yahoo! that a Good Samaritan picked up the pilot and that Coast Guard involvement was minimal.

But the pilot's eight-year-old son had an instrumental role. The U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Controller John Harland told the Westerly Sun that Simmons' son, Ethan, heard his "mayday call" and was able to help rescuers pinpoint his flight.

Simmons Aviation has a banner-towing division, Banner-Tow USA, which promotes its services for aerial advertising, including personal messages for red-letter banners and notes on its website, "Your message can read up to 38 characters including spaces. This type of banner is ideal for fast, affordable messages in the sky." Calls to Simmons Aviation have not been returned.

Authorities said the pilot was not seriously injured. No word on whether the banner got its message across before the plane went down, but pilot Simmons is prepared to get the proposal airborne again.