Plane Piloted by Queens Assemblyman Makes Emergency Landing on Long Island Beach

A single-engine plane piloted by Queens Assemblyman Clyde Vanel experienced an engine malfunction and had to make an emergency landing along a beach in Long Island, New York, on March 17.

No injuries were reported, according to local news.

Video recorded by Caelyn Canace, who happened to be walking her dog on the beach while on a lunch break, shows the plane landing on Long Island’s Shoreham Beach.

“You can imagine, it was not a regular walk on our beach,” Canace told Storyful. “I realized that something did not look right, and then I was thinking, oh my god this plane was going down.”

Vanel posted to Facebook, saying that after his aircraft experienced an “engine failure,” he “landed the airplane at the nearest safe location, while attempting to minimize damage to persons or property.”

“I am thankful that I was able to walk away without injury,” Vanel said.

Local news reported that the Federal Aviation Administration said “two people were on board and were not injured,” adding that the Rocky Point Fire Department said there was “no fuel spill.”

Canace told Storyful she approached Vanel and the passenger. “I invited them over to my house to clean up and then took them to the Brookhaven airport.” Credit: Caelyn Canace via Storyful