Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Huntington Beach Shoreline After Engine Failure

A small plane safely made an emergency landing on the shoreline in Huntington Beach Monday afternoon after the pilot reported an engine failure shortly after takeoff.

The incident happened around 2:10 p.m. near the 22000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, according to Huntington Beach firefighters. Officials said no injuries were reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, landed on the sand after the pilot experienced an engine issue following departure from John Wayne Airport. Two people were on board at the time.

Pilot Mike Bremner said he was only about five minutes into a flight to Van Nuys when the plane’s propeller stopped turning. He quickly issued a Mayday call and prepared for a forced landing.

Bremner told CBS Los Angeles that he was able to guide the aircraft safely onto Huntington Beach near the shoreline.

Video from the scene showed the single-engine plane displaying branding for ElderAbuseAirForce.com, a nonprofit organization Bremner operates focused on fighting elder abuse.

Beachgoers said the landing happened so quietly that some people barely noticed the aircraft approaching.

Bremner’s nephew, Griffin, who was visiting Southern California from Canada, said the situation was frightening at first but became remarkable once everyone realized there were no injuries.

The pilot said the same plane was previously used to set an unofficial world record for flying around the Hollywood sign.

The FAA and local authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.