A 1972 Piper Cherokee lost power and crash landed on sand near Caspersen Beach on Venice Island, Sarasota County, Florida, on July 27.
Spokesperson of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Wendy Rose, confirmed that none of the two people aboard the plane were injured in the incident. However a man, identified as Ommy Irizarry, 36, who was walking on the beach with his 9 year old daughter, was killed. His daughter, Oceana Irizarry, was critically injured and was airlifted to Children’s hospital in St. Petersburg. But on July 29, the authorities confirmed that she had succumbed to her injuries. They belonged to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
It is not yet clear whether the two victims were hit by the plane or debris.
According to Rose, at 2:45 p.m., the Venice airport received a distress call from the plane’s pilot. “They were contacted by a pilot whose small plane was in distress. He knew he couldn’t make it back to the airport and was going to try to land on the beach. And he did land at the edge of the water on the beach,” she said.
The NTSB is investigation the incident.
Air Canada flight AC-957 had to make an unscheduled landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 13th.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-3641 had to return and make a safe emergency landing at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 7th.
Allegiant Airlines flight G4-2292 returned to Orlando Sanford International Airport, Florida, on August 22nd.