Piper PA-28 Makes Emergency Beach Landing After Engine Failure Near John Wayne Airport

A single-engine Piper PA-28 Cherokee made an emergency landing on the sand at Huntington State Beach, California, Monday afternoon following an apparent engine failure. The aircraft had departed John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana and was en route to Van Nuys Airport when pilot Mike Bremner reported a loss of power at approximately 1,000 feet.

According to air traffic control audio, Bremner declared, "Mayday, mayday, mayday, we've lost our engine," before informing controllers he would put the aircraft down on the beach south of the Huntington Beach Pier. Under-wing camera footage shows the aircraft descending over the shoreline and sliding to a stop on the sand near Magnolia Street, narrowly avoiding beachgoers in the area. Bremner and his 16-year-old nephew, Griffin, exited the aircraft uninjured.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and are investigating the cause of the mechanical failure. Huntington Beach Police Department officers secured the scene and coordinated removal of the aircraft. The incident underscores the challenges pilots face when experiencing low-altitude engine failures over densely populated coastal corridors.