BY SERGIO BUSTOS
sbustos@MiamiHerald.com
It was supposed to be a happy family outing on a Saturday afternoon in the Everglades.
Then the airboat's engine conked out and a family of eight suddenly found themselves stranded in the middle of one of South Florida's most desolate areas.

It would take Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials eight hours to find the Peacon family.
Lucky for them, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had an airboat for just such emergencies, said Miami-Dade Fire Lt. Eddy Ballaster.

''This could have been a very serious situation,'' he said.

Here's what happened:
Earlier in the day, Jeff and John Peacon, both brothers from south Miami-Dade, embarked on a trip to the Everglades aboard their own airboat. In all, eight people -- five adults and three children, ages 17, 10 and 9 -- climbed aboard for the outing.

At some point during the trip, the airboat's engine failed, leaving the family stranded in the vast and remote Everglades. It's unclear their precise location.

They immediately contacted authorities with a cellphone, prompting Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to use their rescue airboat, said Ballaster.

Still, it would take rescue workers nearly eight hours to locate the disabled airboat, said Ballaster, who said the family was found at about 10 p.m.

Had the search effort by airboat failed, rescue workers were prepared to send a helicopter, said Ballaster.

Efforts to reach the family late Saturday were unsuccessful.