A small plane landed in the ocean near a lively New Hampshire beach Saturday.
Beachgoers claimed that the aircraft was towing an advertisement banner before crashing off Hampton Beach around noon, according to FOX 5.
A plane was pulled ashore after the aircraft crashed on New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach. The pilot was rescued by lifeguards and no injuries were reported, police say. https://t.co/nZgsv3TFyp pic.twitter.com/J4ZaapqQAB
— ABC News (@ABC) July 30, 2023
Video footage showed the plane flipping over on its wings as it hit the ocean, WCVB reported. One of the witnesses, Shakari Mahfood, told WCVB reporters, “[t]he plane kind of slowly came to a stall and it turned upside down, and then it just dropped in (nose-first).” (RELATED: Five Killed In North Myrtle Beach Plane Crash)
The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the single-engine Piper PA-18 plane, emerged unharmed after being promptly rescued by lifeguards, as stated by Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno to WMUR-TV.
Beachgoer Laurie Lemoine said, “[the pilot] walked out in his clothes and socks and shoes, and he was shaken up though,” per WCVB.
As of now, the Hampton Police Department and the New Hampshire Beach Patrol have yet to provide further comment on the situation, FOX 5 reported.
With the plane successfully pulled ashore, authorities have taken over the scene for further investigation, per FOX 5. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will both delve into the circumstances surrounding the incident, the outlet reported.
This incident comes just a few weeks after five people were tragically killed in another small plane crash in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, July 2. Similarly, the plane was a single-engine Piper PA-32 that crashed “in unknown circumstances” upon departing around 11 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported.