POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A small plane landed Thursday afternoon on the sand in Pompano Beach.
Sky 10 was above the scene just before 5 p.m. as authorities surrounded the red plane.
A Broward Sheriff's Office representative said the plane made an emergency landing just after 4:30 p.m. on the sand near 1398 S. Ocean Blvd.
Beachgoers were shocked to see the plane getting closer to them.
"I'm saying, 'Dear God, don't let this man crash this plane," a witness told Local 10 News.
The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. He didn't want to speak to Local 10.
"Thank God nobody got hurt," the witness said.
A friend of the pilot said his flying experience likely prevented a beach catastrophe.
"If he wasn't a good pilot, it'd be upside down," Christian McDaniel said.
The plane remained on the sand for about four hours before it was towed to a parking lot, where authorities planned to bring it back to a nearby airport.
Local 10 has learned engine problems forced the pilot to make the emergency landing, but the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
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