Pilot makes emergency landing on Huntington beach after engine failure

A pilot executed an emergency landing on the sands of Huntington Beach late Thursday evening, October 23, after a single-engine aircraft suffered a complete engine failure.

No injuries are reported following the incident. This marks the third aviation crisis in Southern California in the past three weeks.

The aircraft is identified as a 1973 Cessna 172 that had departed from Santa Barbara Airport en route to John Wayne Airport around 8:30 p.m.

After an hour into the flight, the pilot reported a loss of engine power and an inability to reach the intended destination.

Corbin Carson, Huntington Beach’s public affairs manager stated, “The pilot landed the aircraft on the shore after reporting engine trouble and being unable to return to John Wayne Airport.”

The situation was examined from the air by the Huntington Beach Police Department’s helicopter, HB-1, whose pilot overheard the distress calls.

The pilot of the Cessna used his visual contact with the helicopter crew and masterfully steered the plane towards a soft landing between the Lifeguard Towers 11 and 13 near the pier at around 9:30 p.m.

“The landing was incidental and both the pilot and passenger, along with other bystanders on the beach, were not hurt,” the authorities confirmed.

The plane had not been damaged during the landing, requiring heavy machinery to be taken off the beach.

The landing and emergency landing are the third and fourth recent aviation accidents in the region, after a helicopter crash in Huntington Beach, which hospitalized five people and a forced landing of a plane in Long Beach on October 21.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have also been informed and will also begin investigations on the cause of engine failure.