Small plane crashes into the waters off Huntington State Beach

Beachgoers at Huntington State Beach enjoying the bright and sunny afternoon were surprised by the sudden descent and crash of a small aircraft that had been towing an advertising banner.

City spokeswoman Jennifer Carey said the emergency call reporting the accident came in at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The plane crashed into the water near Lifeguard Tower 13, where the 2022 California Surf Lifesaving Junior Lifeguard Championship was taking place. Carey confirmed the pilot was rescued with minor injuries.

No other injuries were reported.

Public safety officials survey the damage to the small plane after it was pulled out of the water along the coast at Huntington State Beach.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Carey said the California State Parks Department would lead the investigation into the incident. The city’s marine lifeguards, police and fire departments also responded.

By 3 p.m., public safety officials had cordoned off the area of the crash and retrieved the wreckage from the water.

Riverside resident Maritza Robles said she and her family arrived for an afternoon at the beach just as the plane was beginning to come down. Her kids were already in the water as the plane descended.

The small plane was pulled out of the ocean by 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. The first call of the crash came in at around 1:30 p.m., according to city officials.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

“[The pilot] seemed to be OK. He was on top and we saw the lifeguards right away went out there and got him,” said Robles. “He was already on the top of the airplane [after] it fell. I think he knew that it was coming down, so I think he reacted. By the time it was in the water, he was already coming out.”

Robles’ daughter, Marissa Aguilar, 10, said the plane was towing a banner and appeared to glide down into the water.

Mariana Chanfreau said she saw the plane as it went down because she had been watching the waters for the end of one of the lifeguard races so that her children could go out into the ocean.

Members of the Huntington Beach Fire Department survey the damage to the small plane that was allegedly carrying a banner advertisement. The call came in about the crash at around 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

“It was just coming really low and, at first, it looked like it might glide. We knew it was going to go in at a point, but it looked like he was going to glide. You couldn’t hear anything, so it just kind of glided and then nosedived. In seconds, you had like 200 lifeguards out there,” said Chanfreau.

Chanfreau said the pilot seemed to be able to walk when she saw him being loaded into the ambulance.

“It was one of those big banners. It was big and it was white and looked like it was low. At some point, you thought maybe it was [a maneuver] just to show the sign, but it just came down,” said Chanfreau.

One woman said she has seen the same plane flying by regularly, usually advertising local restaurants.

A small plane is towed by a bulldozer after it was pulled out of the water.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

The cause of the crash was unknown as of Friday evening.

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