Plane Down at Mouth of Harbor, but No One Hurt

Two men escaped serious injury Tuesday night when their single-engine plane developed engine trouble over Orange County and crashed into the ocean near a jetty at the mouth of Newport Harbor.

The plane, en route from Palm Springs to Van Nuys, was being followed by a police helicopter that monitored the distress calls, authorities said.

Both the pilot and a passenger were rescued as they climbed out of the plane shortly after 8 p.m. They were taken aboard an Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol boat that was also monitoring the emergency and waiting near the crash site.

Only Minor Injuries

Authorities identified the pilot as David Gene Gibbs, 36, of Valencia and his passenger as Roger Donald Larue, 41, of Thousand Oaks.

Sheriff’s Department Lt. Larry Richey said Gibbs did not suffer any apparent injuries, and Larue had only minor cuts that did not appear to be serious enough for stitches. Both were taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, authorities said.

Richey said the plane was flying from Palm Springs to Van Nuys when it reported an emergency to John Wayne Airport. He said the pilot was hoping to make an emergency landing at John Wayne, but when the plane’s engine died, he was forced into the ocean.

The plane, a Cessna 210, sank in 25 feet of water just inside the east jetty at the entrance to Newport Harbor, Richey said. Harbor Patrol deputies immediately marked the crash site with buoys to warn boat traffic away.

Ron and Shelly Juskiewicz were barbecuing at Corona del Mar State Beach when they saw the helicopter fly past, shining its spotlight along the coast.

Moments later, they saw the crippled plane flying at low altitude and heading north, “looking like it needed to land.”

“It started to bank, and the wing hit the water, then the nose (hit the water) as the plane started to sink,” Ron Juskiewicz said. “Two men got out right away; the Harbor Patrol pulled right up, put the men on the boat, and the plane went down in minutes.”

He added: “It could have been a disaster. There were at least 50 people on the beach, and there was a big boat 20 yards from where it hit.”

Another witness on the beach said she was surprised that the helicopter, which appeared to be tracking the plane’s path, did not make an announcement to clear the beach.

Richey said he did not know whether the pilot had hoped to attempt a landing on the beach but was deterred by the crowd. He said the helicopter had been dispatched from Huntington Beach.

Leslie Herzog in Newport Beach contributed to this story.