A man and his dog fought death and survived together after a small aircraft landed in the waters off Rancho Palos Verdes in California on Sunday, April 14. Luckily, the pilot and his dog were able to get to safety by swimming back to the shore.
Pilot swims to safety with his dog after making ocean landing off California coast
Sergeant Jeffrey Velasco from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department got a call around 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, as the LA Times reports. It was about a plane crashing into the ocean near Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.
According to the department’s post on X – formerly known as Twitter – they sent a team to rescue the small plane. The deputies reported that the pilot and the dog weren’t hurt and didn’t need any treatment.
Furthermore, Los Angeles County Fire Supervisor Bernard Peters mentioned that the aircraft “was a single-engine Piper Cherokee Six.”
As per CBS News, the pilot was en route from Santa Monica to Long Beach when one of the aircraft’s engines malfunctioned. As a result, he had to execute an urgent landing into the ocean.
The LASD’s Rescue 5 helicopter swiftly responded to the location for assistance. Subsequently, SkyCal conducted an aerial survey of the crash site but failed to detect the aircraft since it had already sunk.
Edward Wargo, a U.S. Coast Guard representative, confirmed the presence of only one individual with their dog aboard the plane. He further explained that both occupants managed to swim safely.
Additionally, Wargo emphasized the Coast Guard’s current priority. They will now be assessing and mitigating any potential environmental impact resulting from the aircraft’s fuel spillage.
In a similar incident, a couple and their Jack Russell Terrier survived a plane crash in Tattnall County, Georgia, according to WSAV. Doyle Moye, his wife, and their dog were flying from St. Simons Island to Dublin in March when the aircraft’s engine failed. Fortunately, none of them were badly hurt.
