Airplane in distress makes emergency landing on the sand in Huntington Beach
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Two people traveling in a small airplane that made an emergency landing Thursday night on the sand in Huntington Beach after experiencing engine trouble are safe today, city officials said.
A helicopter pilot with the Huntington Beach Police Department overheard radio traffic from John Wayne Airport about an aircraft in distress and located it as the plane’s pilot searched for a safe place to land, said Corbin Carson, Huntington Beach’s public affairs manger.
The emergency landing occurred on Huntington Beach between Lifeguard Towers 11 and 13 around 9:30 p.m. Thursday after the airplane was unable to return to John Wayne Airport, Carson said.
The pilot maintained visual contact and observed the plane touch down safely on the beach.
Both occupants of the plane were uninjured. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified, Carson said.
