(Newser) – We're willing to bet this is a first: Passengers on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Sydney were asked to participate in a search for a yacht that had been lost at sea for 16 hours, reports the Consumerist. The captain received a call for help and flew to the rescue, lowering the Boeing 777 from 38,000 feet to around 5,000 feet. He used the PA system to ask passengers to keep an eye out and report anything they saw.

What's amazing is that it worked. A first officer spotted the yacht, and the pilot dipped again to 3,800 feet, which helped the crew identify a man who had been stranded on the boat. It added about 40 minutes to the journey, but the captain says it was well worth it. The yachtsman was rescued and is doing fine, reports the Australian. (Read more airplane stories.)

