Pilot Lands Stricken Aircraft in Ocean off Carlsbad; No One Hurt
The pilot of a small plane having engine problems early Thursday made an emergency landing into the ocean off Carlsbad, officials said.
Three people on board the single-engine aircraft were uninjured in the landing.
The plane, a Piper Arrow II, landed in the water around 7:45 a.m., officials said. Emergency workers responded and found the plane on the beach off Carlsbad Boulevard near Poinsettia Lane, just south of the South Carlsbad State Beach campground.
The pilot had reported engine problems before landing in the water southwest of McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, a FAA spokesperson said. The plane had taken off from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego and was heading to John Wayne Airport in Orange County when it made the emergency landing.
The plane is registered to Christopher Sluka of San Diego, according to the FAA. Sluka is a pilot and owns a company called Learn to Fly San Diego. The company website lists eight other flight instructors and 10 planes. Sluka could not be immediately reached for comment.
Paramedics from the Carlsbad Fire Department checked out the pilot and passengers and no one needed to go to the hospital, Carlsbad Fire Department Chief Mike Calderwood said.
He said the three people were "very lucky," adding: "There was some skill involved with the pilot."
Video shot by Fox 5 San Diego shortly after the plane landed showed the aircraft sitting in the surf line with waves crashing into it. The left wing of the plane appeared to be broken.
It was unclear if that damage occurred during the emergency landing or after the plane was hit by waves.
"The department is working with the FAA on the incident," a spokesperson with the state Parks Department said in a statement.
The plane landed during high tide when water covered much of South Carlsbad State Beach, which is rocky and at the base of a steep cliff.
A witness told OnScene TV the plane's engine wasn't on when it landed in the water.
"He sat it down tail first and just gently sat it in the water," said Dan Schade, who was walking in the area. He said the plane was about 30 feet from the shore when it landed.
"I'm just glad they are OK," he said.
Updates:
1:07 p.m. Jan. 19, 2023: This story was updated with additional details.
10:10 a.m. Jan. 19, 2023: This story was updated with additional information from Carlsbad fire officials.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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