OAK ISLAND, N.C. – A veteran pilot is counting his blessings after being pulled from the wreckage of a sunken plane following a harrowing emergency water landing near Oak Island Pier earlier this month.
Engine Failure Mid-Flight
The pilot, identified as Mark Finkelstein, had been flying his single-engine aircraft for just 13 minutes when the engine suddenly failed.
“It was literally going to be about a 20-minute flight just down the length of Oak Island, turn around and come back in,” Finkelstein told WECT .
When the engine stopped completely, Finkelstein realized he could not return to Cape Fear Regional Jetport. With the beach near Oak Island Pier crowded, he opted for the ocean.
Dramatic Crash and Rescue
Footage shows the plane skidding across the water before flipping upside down and sinking. The Oak Island Fire Department reported the aircraft came to rest nearly submerged, with Finkelstein surviving on a small pocket of air in the cabin.
“At some point, the engine started to lose power so the RPM started to go down. The engine just stopped altogether … it was very clear I was going to be making a landing in the water,” Finkelstein recalled…