GALVESTON — A Galveston boater is being credited with helping save lives after a Mexican Navy aircraft crashed into the water Monday, killing five people and leaving one person missing.

Sky Decker says he was out on the water when he noticed something was wrong.

“It was very foggy,” Decker told KGTX 7. “We went past the ramp where all the first responders were. We knew something was going on.”

Decker says he and others aboard his boat decided they could help. They picked up two police officers and headed toward the crash site.

What they found was devastating.

“When we arrived, the plane looked like a ball of wreckage,” Decker said. “I couldn’t believe anyone survived it.”

Authorities later confirmed eight people were on board the Mexican Navy plane when it went down in Galveston Bay. Five people died in the crash. Two survivors were rescued and hospitalized. One person remains missing.

Decker says he did not hesitate.

“I just jumped in,” he said. “I was able to get her out of there.”

He says the damage to the aircraft made it impossible to reach the pilot and co-pilot.

“Unfortunately there was no way to reach them,” Decker said.

Despite the chaos, Decker downplayed his role, saying the response reflected the community itself.

“I like to think anyone would do this,” he said. “We have a great community.”

The rescue also carried a deeply personal weight for Decker. He says he survived a plane crash when he was 10 years old and had recurring dreams about aircraft accidents growing up.

“Then this happens,” he said. “And it had my mother’s name on the side — ‘Marina.’”

Investigators continue working to determine what caused the crash, while recovery efforts for the missing individual remain ongoing.

Local officials praised the quick actions of first responders and civilians alike, saying the coordinated effort helped prevent an even greater loss of life.

Courtesy: Sky Decker