WATCH: Small Plane Crashes Into Ocean Near Beach

Video footage captured the moment a small plane crashed in the water near a North Carolina beach.

The single-engine aircraft lost power and crashed in the ocean near the Oak Island Pier at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“A pilot was rescued after his small plane crashed in the water off the coast of Oak Island, North Carolina on Saturday,” ABC News stated.

“Only the pilot was onboard, according to the FAA. Officials say the pilot was treated on shore for non-life-threatening injuries,” it added.

Watch the footage:

A pilot was rescued after his small plane crashed in the water off the coast of Oak Island, North Carolina on Saturday.

Only the pilot was onboard, according to the FAA. Officials say the pilot was treated on shore for non-life-threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/tz4vWnbipa

— ABC News (@ABC) August 4, 2025

More from the New York Post:

“At some point, the engine started to lose power,” pilot Mark Finkelstein told WRAL-TV News following the watery Saturday evening landing off the shore of Oak Island. “At a certain point, the engine just stopped altogether and the propeller just stopped.

“And at that point, it was very clear that I was supposed to be making a landing in the water,” he told the outlet. “I was focused on the training and what I needed to do … I just focused on what I needed to do.”

The small plane, a Jabiru J230-D, was only in the air for 13 minutes after taking off from nearby Cape Fear for a scheduled short flight over the popular beach before things went wrong around 7:30 p.m., according to a report by WNCN-TV News.

“Water rescue teams were already in the area after responding to another call nearby and rushed to the submerged plane by boat, jet ski, and surfboard,” World News Tonight noted.

Video captured the moment a single-engine plane crashed off North Carolina’s coast. Water rescue teams were already in the area after responding to another call nearby and rushed to the submerged plane by boat, jet ski, and surfboard. @MolaReports reports. https://t.co/QzCTi776bC pic.twitter.com/EoWXMo3vTA

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) August 5, 2025

WECT noted:

Town officials say the beach safety unit was already in the area, having just performed water rescues, and was able to retrieve the pilot quickly.

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Officials initially said the investigation was being led by the Coast Guard, but it has now been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration.