WWII Era Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Water In Front of a Crowded Beach in Florida

A World War II-era plane was forced to make an emergency landing in front of a crowded beach in Florida after it experienced engine failure before landing.

When a group of people on a Florida beach were headed to the beach last Saturday, the last thing they would have expected was seeing an aircraft landing on the beach waters.

However, the beachgoers got just that and were given quite the show after a plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the beach waters and in front of them.

The affected plane was owned by Valiant Air Command, Inc. and was part of an air show. The incident occurred on Saturday, April 18, off the coast of Cocoa Beach.

Valiant Air Command, Inc. confirmed the incident in a post on its Facebook page. The post was a message from the Air Command's Commander, who said:

"Most of you know that our TBM Avenger was forced to land due to engine failure. The good news is that the pilot is fine..."

The Commander further said that the right officials and many other volunteers were helping to get the aircraft out of the water. Meanwhile, Cocoa Beach Air Show spokesperson, Chris Dirato, told CNN that the aircraft was part of an air show.

The entire incident was caught on surveillance video, which showed the plane descending quickly, causing sparks to fly

Also, only the pilot was aboard the plane at the time of the emergency landing. The pilot initially attempted to land at the Patrick Space Force Base, the venue of the air show, but he changed his mind when he realized the plane was experiencing engine troubles.

He opted for a water landing to prevent the plane from flying over buildings. Dirato confirmed the pilot was not injured and even waved at onlookers after coming out of the plane.

In a second Facebook post, Valiant Air Command, Inc. shared pictures showing salvage efforts to get the plane out of the water and expressed gratitude that the pilot walked away unscathed from the incident.

It also thanked people for their supportive comments and shared the link to a restoration fund where people could contribute, though it was unsure if the restoration would be a static or flying one.

The incident is similar to one that occurred in December 2019 when a plane made an emergency landing on the street in Phoenix, Arizona, damaging several vehicles and a street sign along the way.

The entire incident was caught on surveillance video, which showed the plane descending quickly, causing sparks to fly as it crashed into several vehicles.

It also crashed into the street sign before coming to a landing stop. Thankfully, the pilot and the passenger walked out of the incident without sustaining any life-threatening injuries.