Small plane makes emergency landing on beach at Marina Park in Ventura
A small plane crash landed on Pierpoint beach at Marina Park in Ventura Friday afternoon.
The plane, a 22' Cessna, model 172-four passenger plane, reportedly crashed at around 4:40 p.m., ending up on the Greenock Jetty of rocks just feet from the water.
"All three occupants safely exited the plane uninjured," said Ventura Police Department in a statement. None of the beachgoers were injured, as police detailed that the beach was not very crowded at the time of the crash.
According to the statement, the pilot was touring Carpinteria before heading towards Ojai, when the "plane suffered engine problems" somewhere over the 33 Freeway and Stanley Avenue.
The pilot was directed to land at Oxnard Airport by local air traffic controllers, but the plane continued to lose altitude quickly, leading to an emergency landing.
"The pilot guided the plane near the waterline and landed approximately 100 yards upcoast of Marina Park on Pierpont beach. The plane eventually came to rest on top of the Greenock Jetty," the statement said.
Crews at the scene were able to quickly access a small fuel leak that occurred as part of the crash, and local investigators were working with both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation.
