Local News

Small plane lands on beach on New York's Fire Island

By Jesse Zanger

June 24, 2024 / 2:06 PM EDT / CBS New York

Rip current risk at Jacob Riis Beach and others around NYC

FIRE ISLAND, N.Y. - A small plane landed on a Fire Island beach Monday.

According to the FAA, the single-engine Piper PA-28 landed on Atlantique Beach at around 12:15 p.m.

Two people were on board. No injuries were reported.

A small plane landed on Fire Island's Atlantique Beach on June 24, 2024. Ellen Gannon

"I saw this plane coming right at us"

"I turned, and I saw this plane coming right at us, and it was real low, and it was wobbling a little bit," David New said. "And all of the sudden, the nose hit the sand, and it flipped straight up. We thought it was going to tip, but it came back down. It was, what, 50 feet from us?"

New said the two people on board were able to get out of the plane, and they didn't seem to be hurt.

The plane is registered to a flight school in Nassau County.

A preliminary FAA report on the incident is expected to be posted Tuesday.

Jesse Zanger

Jesse Zanger is managing editor of CBS New York. Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather.