Pilot lands stricken aircraft in water off Carlsbad beach; no one hurt
CARLSBAD, Calif. — The pilot of a small plane having engine problems early Thursday made an emergency landing into the ocean off Carlsbad, officials said.
Three people on board the single-engine aircraft were uninjured in the landing.
The plane, a Piper Arrow II, landed in the water around 7:45 a.m., officials said. Emergency workers responded and found the plane on the beach off Carlsbad Boulevard, near Poinsettia Lane, just south of the South Carlsbad State Beach campground.
The pilot had reported engine problems before landing in the water southwest of McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said.
“About 15 minutes into the flight, I heard a boom from the engine. At that point I’m like, OK, that’s not good,†Brock Peters told The Times.
The plane had taken off from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego and was heading to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it made the emergency landing, the FAA said.
The plane is registered to Christopher Sluka of San Diego, according to the FAA. Sluka is a pilot and owns a company called Learn to Fly San Diego. The company website lists eight other flight instructors and 10 planes. Sluka could not be immediately reached for comment.
The pilot and two passengers were checked out by paramedics from the Carlsbad Fire Department, and no one needed to go to a hospital, Carlsbad Fire Department Chief Mike Calderwood said.
He said the three people were “very lucky,†adding, “There was some skill involved with the pilot.â€
Video shot by Fox 5 San Diego shortly after the plane landed showed the aircraft sitting in the surf line with waves crashing into it. The left wing of the plane appeared to be broken.
It was unclear whether that damage occurred during the emergency landing or after the plane was hit by waves.
A spokesperson with the state Parks Department said the plane remained at South Carlsbad State Beach. “The department is working with the FAA on the incident,†the parks statement said.
The plane landed during high tide when water covered much of the beach, which is rocky and at the base of a steep cliff.
A small plane crashed into a field near the Modesto airport, killing its only occupant, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department said.
A witness told OnScene.TV the plane’s engine wasn’t on when it landed in the water.
“He sat it down tail first and just gently sat it in the water,†said Dan Schade, who was walking in the area. He said the plane was about 30 feet from the shore when it landed.
“I’m just glad they are OK,†he said.
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