What to Know
- A Cessna 172S fixed-wing single-engine plane with three people on board made an emergency landing at Robert Moses State Park in Babylon
- Two students and a flight instructor were on the plane when a mechanical issue forced the emergency landing, a source says
- The plane's wheels got caught in the sand as it was landing, and the plane flipped; no serious injuries were reported
A small plane flipped in the sand after making an emergency landing on Robert Moses State Park beach on Long Island Monday morning, authorities say.
The Cessna 172 landed on the beach in Babylon just after 9:15 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. New York State Parks spokesman George Gorman says the plane landed right side up but the wind flipped the plane over before it came to a stop.
Officials say an instructor and two junior teen pilots were on board the plane, which had flown out of Republic Airport.
Witness Steve Fratello was startled when he saw the plane flying low toward the dunes.
"I thought maybe at first they were having a thrill," he said.
When the got to the plane, the two 16-year-old students -- a boy and a girl -- walked out unfazed, along with their instructor.
Local
"They were incredibly calm," he said.
One of the students was flying when there was a mechanical issue, and the instructor took over and landed the plane on the beach, officials said.
"I don't want to say it was a good time for it to land, but in fact, they landed, there was no one on the beach, and no one was injured," said Gorman.
The two students were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital to be evaluated, and the instructor remained on site to speak to investigators.
The FAA syas it's looking into the cause of the mechanical problem.
