OCEAN CITY, Md. - A small plane made an emergency landing on the beach near 94th Street in Ocean City just after 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Ocean City Fire Department.
Ryan Whittington with the Ocean City Fire Department said crews responded with police for a reported plane crash and found the aircraft on the beach. Whittington said there was minimal damage to the aircraft and no fuel leaks were reported. “There’s minimal damage to the aircraft. There are no fuel leaks noted at this time,” Whittington said.
Maryland State Police said troopers from the Berlin Barrack were called around 5:45 p.m. and found a single-engine 1970 Cessna crashed on the beach. Troopers said the pilot and one passenger, both from Bel Air, Maryland, were on board.
Whittington said both people were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and refused treatment. “There were two on board the aircraft. Both of them denied any injuries upon our arrival. Our paramedics did evaluate them on scene. They have since refused any treatment,” Whittington said.
Skyler Cook, who lives on Pacific Avenue in Ocean City during the summer, said he and a friend were nearby when the plane came down. “Me and my buddy JT heard a little rattling noise, metallic rattling noise in the wind,” Cook said. “We turned to the right and there is a plane crash landing about a foot over our heads.” Cook said they had to quickly move out of the way. “I mean, we sprawled out and ducked down to save ourselves,” Cook said.
The cause of the emergency landing is unknown. Whittington said Maryland State Police are investigating, with federal agencies expected to be involved.
“The cause of the crash right now is being investigated by the Maryland State Police, which I’m sure they’ll have the NTSB and others be involved in the investigation to determine what happened with the aircraft,” Whittington said.
State police said the FAA and NTSB will lead the investigation. Authorities are working to remove the plane from the beach.
