FROM STAFF REPORTS
No one was injured when a small plane crash landed in the water off the beach in Ocean City, Md., early Tuesday evening, according to a news release from Maryland State Police.
The pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft was identified as Trevor H. Deihl, 23, of Reedville. He reported he was uninjured after the crash, the release stated.
According to the preliminary investigation, witnesses said they were on the beach at 20th Street about 6:15 p.m., when they saw a single-engine airplane crash into the ocean about one-quarter mile from the shoreline. Witnesses said the plane appeared to glide toward the water as it descended and then float on the surface of the ocean when it landed. The plane then floated in toward the beach, the release stated.
Personnel from the Ocean City Beach Patrol and the Ocean City Police Department responded to the scene. Maryland State Police responded to the scene after being notified by the Ocean City Police Department. Officials from the Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Natural Resources Police, U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were notified, police said.
The airplane is a 1981 Cessna 172 RG, owned by the pilot. Deihl told troopers he had taken off from Reedville and had planned to land at the Ocean City Airport. He said he was about one mile off shore when he began having engine trouble and ultimately glided the plane into the ocean, according to the news release.
The investigation is continuing, police said.
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