Small plane crashes in ocean near Daytona Beach
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - It was a stunning sight on Daytona Beach Shores as a plane plunged into the ocean. The plane was still there late Tuesday evening.
The pilot who was flying it, 75-year-old Richard Goosman, is doing alright and says he crashed in the water around 2 p.m., to avoid all the people on the beach.
“Actually a neighbor of mine and I were walking on the beach and I noticed the plane coming in very gracefully. She says he has no pontoons. About that time I said, ‘Well he’s crashing!’’ said witness Marcia Harden.
It was a graceful flight turned violent.
“I hope those people got out.”
Volusia County Beach Safety rushed into the ocean in Daytona Beach Shores to save the pilot inside.
“It was straight in. Everyone goes oh my gosh, there's a plane in the water,” said witness Will Grider.
Goosman was flying south from North Carolina. He was the only person inside the small plane, which crashed into the ocean after officials say he ran out of fuel.
“He was in shock obviously but he could talk to us,” said Volusia County Beach Safety Captain Tammy Malphurs.
Goosman was alert and conscious and not seriously hurt. He was taken to Halifax Hospital for good measure.
“It didn't really register until we ran down on the beach and we were like omg there's an airplane right in front of us,” said witness Dana Levey.
Beach Safety officials say Goosman crashed in the water because there were so many people on the beach. They say it was a good thing he did.
“It could have been disastrous,” said Capt. Malphurs.
The single-engine Jabiru 250 was brought to shore with a broken right wing. Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane is registered as an "amateur built" kit model out of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The plane was built in 2005 and last certified to fly starting in 2014.