OCEAN CITY, Md. - A small plane that made an emergency landing on the beach near 94th Street in Ocean City has been removed, one day after first responders were called to the scene.
The Ocean City Fire Department said crews were dispatched just after 5:30 p.m. Monday after multiple 911 calls reported a plane had come down on the sand.
Ryan Whittington, a spokesperson for the department, said firefighters found two people had been on board the aircraft. He said the plane was sticking up in the air and appeared to be planted in the sand when crews arrived.
Whittington said the pilot and passenger were already out of the aircraft and did not have injuries. Both refused medical treatment after being evaluated as a precaution.
After checking on the people on board, crews turned their attention to possible hazards from the plane itself. Whittington said firefighters checked for fuel leaks, fire hazards and debris, but did not find a fuel leak or major debris field.
The plane stayed on the beach overnight. Whittington said public works crews used beach tractors and worked with emergency management to keep the aircraft away from the surf during high tide. He said the effort was aimed at preventing any possible environmental concerns if fuel or other materials had reached the ocean.
Anglin Aircraft Recovery Systems removed the plane early Tuesday morning. Fire officials said the beach was not permanently damaged.
Ed Pinto, a pilot and former Federal Aviation Administration public affairs official, watched part of the recovery process Tuesday morning. Pinto said the aircraft’s condition stood out to him.
“I know some people have called it a crash, but it really wasn’t a crash,” Pinto said. “That pilot landed that airplane.”
Pinto said the wings, landing gear and propellers appeared intact, which led him to believe the pilot made a controlled emergency landing. He said pilots are trained to put a small plane into a glide if something goes wrong and to keep the aircraft in a position that allows some control on the way down.
Whittington said the outcome could have been much different if the beach had been more crowded, especially with Memorial Day weekend approaching. He said if the pilot had chosen to land in the ocean instead, first responders would have had to deploy rescue swimmers, changing the response significantly.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are expected to lead the investigation into what caused the emergency landing.
