HAMPTON, N.H. (WHDH) - Experts are crediting a pilot for his quick-thinking and training after his plane experienced engine failure, forcing him to splash down just off of Hampton Beach over the weekend.
The single-engine plane had been carrying a banner before it went down Saturday afternoon, according to federal investigators.
“I saw a plane coming in, wasn’t high off the water, and I was wondering why,” said Jeff Piubeni, who witnessed the crash. “In a matter of seconds, he just went right in. The backend of the plane flipped up, tipped over, and then lifeguards and everybody just rushed into the water.”
One beachgoer was able to film the moment the plane made its splash landing, just 30 yards offshore. People standing on the beach could be heard clapping soon afterwards when the pilot quickly emerged from the aircraft.
Lifeguards were able to help get him out of the water and push the plane out of the ocean afterwards.
The plane’s pilot was reportedly OK following the crash, having suffered only some bumps and bruises. He was later checked out at a nearby hospital before returning home.
An airfield mechanic who arrived to help clear the plane from the scene on Sunday told 7NEWS the pilot had reported an engine failure, and that he followed proper procedure.
“He did it exactly right,” said Dana Thurston. “Dropped the banner, got it nice and slow, get close to the shore, but didn’t put anybody in danger. You’re responsibility is always to the people on the ground first. He did exactly everything just right.”
Thurston and a crew were able to dismantle the plane’s wings and get it onto a tow truck. The mechanic said the plane was likely destroyed as a result of the crash, as salt water can ruin engines.
Friends of the pilot said he was able to walk away from the crash thank to his training.
“It’s something that you think about all the time, where we live right on the coast and fly up and down” Thurston said. “You really have to have your water landing procedure in your mind all of the time.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)