Small plane crashes into Pacific during California lifeguard competition
The banner plane came down 30 yards from the sand at Huntington Beach
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off of California’s Huntington Beach as a lifeguarding competition was taking place.
The Cessna was reportedly towing a banner as it came down into the ocean. Teenage lifeguards gathered en masse for the 2022 California Surf Lifesaving Association Junior Lifeguard Championship grabbed surfboards and dashed into the waves to help, according to the Associated Press.
Corinne Baginski, whose 17-year-old daughter was on the beach between events, told the news organization that they “heard a thump” before realising what happened.
“The kids saw it and suddenly they turned and ran towards it,” she recalled.
Coast Guard Lt. SondraKay Kneen told the AP that the plane, which only had the pilot onboard, crashed around 30 yards from the shore.
The lifeguards and other first responders tended to the pilot, whose condition is not yet known, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments