A pilot made an emergency landing on a beach near 94th Street in Ocean City, Maryland, on Monday evening after reporting mechanical issues. The husband and wife were found outside the aircraft and refused medical treatment; no one on the beach was injured.
Around 5:45 p.m. Monday in Ocean City, Maryland, people on the beach looked up and saw a light plane descending toward them instead of the sky. Local authorities say the pilot of a small aircraft reported mechanical issues and brought the plane down on the sand near 94th Street.
In a video posted on the Ocean City Fire Department’s Facebook page, the aircraft is seen with its tail tipped up and the propeller in the sand. The plane was a small blue and white 1970 Cessna model 150.
Elena Russo, a spokesperson for Maryland State Police, said emergency units—including the Ocean City fire department and police department—were dispatched after the report came in. She described what the occupants realized soon after takeoff from the Ocean City Municipal Airport.
“They were having engine problems,” Russo said. “And what they had done is try to land on the beach, which is exactly what they did.”
When responders arrived, Russo said they found the single-engine plane and its occupants outside the aircraft. The occupants were identified as a husband and wife. Russo said they appeared unhurt, and the couple refused medical treatment at the scene.
“No one on the beach was injured,” Russo said. “We’re very fortunate in many ways that this didn’t end differently.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the emergency landing.
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