Pilot Crashes Plane into Ocean to Avoid Beachgoers

WESTERLY, RI—A small plane crashed into the water off Weekapaug Beach on Saturday, much to the surprise of beach goers who saw the plane land on the water and skip like a stone before sinking, nose down.

The pilot, identified as Alexander Piekarski, 62, of New York, was rescued by two lifeguards who paddled out into the water and transported to Rhode Island Hospital from the shore to be treated for unspecified injuries.

One of the beachgoers was Larry Schwartz, who said the plane crashed right in front of where he was.

"Not something you see everyday," he said.

Tom Lockwood, owner of Lockwood Marina, told the Providence Journal that he saw the plane approach and first thought it was a remote control plane.

"It got closer and I said, this is a real plane," he said.

The state police said the investigation determined that the Piekarski lost power during a flight from Long Island to Taunton, MA.

"The pilot made an attempt to head toward the Westerly Airport but as a result of a loss in altitude, he elected to make an emergency landing into the water to avoid people on the beach," according to a state police news release.

The U.S. Coast Guard sent two cutters and a plane to the scene but the pilot was on the beach by the time they responded just before 1 p.m., said Coast Guard Petty Officer Jason Bussell.

Corporal Stephen Vanner of the Rhode Island State Police said the crash is being investigated by Westerly police, the state Department of Environmental Management, the Coast Guard, Rhode Island Airport Corporation and the state police.

The State Aeronautics Inspector, along with the Federal Aviation Administraton and the National Transportation Safety Board will be inspecting the plane, a four-seat Beech Craft Bonanza, once it is removed from the water.

Photos courtesy Larry Schwartz