HAULOVER BEACH, Fla. – A small plane crashed Monday afternoon along the shore of Haulover Beach.
Sky 10 was above the scene just after 2 p.m. as the plane was upside down on the shore near a lifeguard stand.
Stunned onlookers watched in horror as a plane falls from the sky.
"We saw something moving around fall into the ocean, flipped over and there was a little bit of fire so everybody ran to the airplane," Irene Moskatel said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said the four people aboard the plane -- a flight instructor, a student and two passengers -- were not hurt in the crash.
Pictures show people running to the plane after the crash trying to get the passengers out.
"They looked like they were shock," Moskatel said.
Detective Lee Cowart, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade County Police Department, said the plane, a single engine Cessna 172N, experienced engine failure after departing from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport around 1:30 p.m. Cowart said the pilot tried to restart the plane in the air, but was force to land after that failed.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
"It could have been much worse. It could have landed on people. They could have been in the middle of the ocean and could have drowned. They were pretty lucky," Moskatel said.