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BOCA RATON, Florida (WFOR) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a plane crashed into the water off a busy Boca Raton beach Thursday morning.
Police said the one person on board was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but was uninjured.
A witness began recording around 10:30 a.m. when he observed the aircraft in a steady descent along South Beach Pavilion Park, off 250 South Ocean Boulevard. The plane skidded to a stop on the water.
“I don’t think that’s a plane made to land in the water,” the witness said.
The witness ran to the scene and saw the plane sinking nose-first with one person treading water. Lifeguards eventually brought the individual to shore.
Judy Shanley, who witnessed the landing, captured a photo of the aircraft in the ocean.
“It looked like it was gliding on the water,” Shanley said. “I saw a person get out of the plane on the passenger side of the door and stand on the wing for a little bit.”
Alexis Arizzi and her husband Mike were on a boat nearby, scuba diving with their son, when they saw the plane go in.
“We kept an eye on it, and we saw it go in the water,” Alexis Arizzi said. “Immediately he hopped on the radio to call the Coast Guard and Boca PD. And I was getting out extra lifejackets and our medical equipment.”
Witnesses said lifeguards brought the pilot to shore. One bystander, Judy Shanley, described what she saw.
“I saw a person get out of the plane on the passenger side, open the door and they stood on the wing,” Shanley said.
The pilot was taken to the hospital as a precaution but is expected to be OK.
Mike Arizzi, who has decades of experience in aviation, said the outcome could have been far worse.
“It’s a tragic thing to see and witness. It’s shocking for me and for everybody else,” he said. “But the pilot really executed a perfect water landing. And that is why nobody got hurt in the process.”
Bystanders echoed that. Several noted the plane narrowly missed a crowded beach.
A condo owner provided photos from a balcony showing the plane partially submerged, and a sea tow boat operator also shared images while awaiting instructions to move the craft.
Boca Raton police confirmed that the pilot was not injured but was transported to the hospital for evaluation.
“I thought, ‘Boy, that pilot did a really good job of not landing on the beach because people were sitting here,'” Shanley said.
Onlookers gathered to observe the scene, expressing relief that no injuries were reported.
“If you land on the crowded beach, that is a risk,” said Eddie Morris, an onlooker.
“Really lucky it didn’t land on the beach; it would have been worse,” added Wayne Grimm of Boca Raton.
Police said the plane will remain submerged until FAA investigators can examine it.
Officials have not yet released the make of the aircraft or the pilot’s name. Multiple Boca Raton Police Department boats were on the water as crews worked to pull the plane out. More than 12 hours after the crash, crews had recovered the aircraft from the water.
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