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Small plane crashes off coast of New Smyrna Beach
A pilot escaped serious injury Thursday after a small banner plane apparently lost engine power and crashed into the water off Volusia County, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and witnesses.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A pilot escaped serious injury Thursday after a small banner plane apparently lost engine power and crashed into the water off Volusia County, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and witnesses.
The crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. VSO shared a photo of the yellow plane upside down in the water near the beach.
Witnesses rush to help pilot
What we know:
Witnesses said the plane was flying unusually low before they heard a loud noise and the engine went silent.
"I heard the plane, so I looked up. Next thing you know, I heard a loud pop, like a backfire," witness David Young said.
Dennis Robinson said he watched the aircraft descend toward the water.
"I’m thinking, man, he’s awful low. And it looked like he was trying to land on the beach," Robinson said.
Robinson and several others rushed into the water after the plane went down. By the time they reached it, Robinson said, the pilot had already managed to get out.
"But he already was out walking around the back of the plane," Robinson said. Witnesses helped bring the pilot to the beach and sat him in a lawn chair.
Robinson, an Air Force veteran, said the experience must have been frightening for the pilot.
"It must have been pretty intense," he said.
Despite the plane flipping in the water, the sheriff’s office said the pilot did not suffer any serious injuries.
Young praised the pilot for bringing the aircraft down without hurting anyone on the beach.
"I thought the guy did a good job and put it right where he needed to," Young said.
"I’m just glad he’s OK. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters," Young added. "Nobody got hurt on the beach. Airplanes can be replaced."
What we don't know:
VSO said the FAA and the NTSB had both been notified of the incident and would open an investigation to determine what happened, and the cause of the crash. The FAA confirmed it would open an investigation.
Similar crash last year
Local perspective:
The crash comes about a year after another banner plane owned by the same company made an emergency landing in the water near Disappearing Island in Ponce Inlet.
Pilots in that incident said engine problems were to blame.
It was not immediately clear what caused Thursday’s crash.
The Source: The Volusia Sheriff's Office posted about the plane crash on its Facebook page.