Pilot, passenger escape injury after small plane makes emergency landing on Long Island beach
A pilot and his passenger managed to escape unhurt on Wednesday after their plane performed an emergency landing on a Long Island beach. This marks the second time in eight years that the aircraft has been involved in such a situation.
Video uploaded to social media displays the single-engine Cessna 152 smoothly gliding over the small stretch of sand at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai just as the sun was setting on the horizon.
The plane safely touched down on the sand and kept moving for several seconds before its nose sank into the sand, revealing the underbelly of the aircraft. Despite the frightening experience, the 60-year-old pilot and his 59-year-old passenger walked away without any injuries.
The pair had reported engine failure just before landing on the beach in Suffolk County.
The controlled crash landing marks the second time the plane has been compelled to land on a Long Island beach in eight years, as indicated by incident reports for the single-engine plane.
Pilot Robert Keletii was instructing a first-time student at 3,000 feet over the North Shore in March 2016 when the engine of the aircraft failed. The duo executed a "forced landing" at Sunken Meadow State Park, approximately 15 miles from Cedar Beach, and both emerged unharmed. "I decided to land on the beach, save my life, that’s it," Keletii stated back then.
The individuals inside the plane on Wednesday have not been disclosed.
It remains unclear from where the pair had taken off or where they were heading to — the beach is 15 miles away from the nearest airport on Long Island, although there are several other small landing strips along the south shore. Additionally, there is another nearby airport in Connecticut directly across from the Long Island Sound.
The FAA is conducting an investigation into the incident.
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