SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) – A father was killed and his daughter seriously injured while walking along a Florida beach when a small plane crash landed Sunday on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf, authorities said.
Wendy Rose, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, said the pilot and his only passenger weren’t hurt when the Piper aircraft lost power and touched down Sunday afternoon near Venice Beach.
“A man and one of his children who were walking on the beach were apparently injured by the plane,” said Rose. She said the Venice airport received a distress call at 2:45 p.m. Sunday that the plane couldn’t make it back to the airport.
“They were contacted by a pilot whose small plane was in distress. He knew he couldn’t make it back to the airport and was going to try to land on the beach. And he did land at the edge of the water on the beach,” Rose added.
She said the girl was airlifted to a children’s hospital where she was apparently in critical condition. The identities of those involved were not immediately released.