A New York City assemblyman was captured on video as he was forced to make an emergency landing on a Long Island beach last week while piloting a small plane.
Queens Assemblyman Clyde Vanel wrote on Facebook that the single-engine aircraft suffered an engine failure on Friday while he was practicing maneuvers.
“As per my training, I landed the airplane at the nearest safe location, while attempting to minimize damage to persons or property,” Vanel wrote. “I am thankful that I was able to walk away without injury.”
Caelyn Canace was walking her dog along Shoreham Beach, located on the south shore of Long Island near the town of Brookhaven, when she spotted the plane and began recording its descent.
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Clyde Vanel said his small plane suffered engine failure on Friday. (Caelyn Canace via Storyful)
“You can imagine, it was not a regular walk on our beach,” Canace told Storyful. “I realized that something did not look right, and then I was thinking, oh my god this plane was going down.”
Clyde Vanel said he landed on Shoreham Beach because it was the “nearest safe location.” (Caelyn Canace via Storyful)
Video shows the small aircraft flying parallel to the beach before crashing onto the sand and sliding with a splash into the water.
Clyde Vanel said there were no injuries during the emergency landing. (Caelyn Canace via Storyful)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said two people were aboard the plane when it made the emergency landing, News12 Long Island reported.
New York State Assembly member Clyde Vanel urges pilots to follow the FAA’s safety procedures. (Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)
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The Rocky Point Fire Department responded to the scene and said the plane spilled no fuel during the incident, the report said.
Canace said that she approached Vanel and the passenger and “invited them over to my house to clean up” before taking them to Brookhaven Calabro Airport.
Vanel wrote that “the FAA’s training on emergency procedures works” and encouraged all his fellow pilots to follow the procedures.
“It will save your life,” the assemblyman wrote.
