A light plane with a student pilot and instructor on board made an emergency landing off the beach this morning.
The plane touched down on the sand which has built up in the Pumicestone Passage between Happy Valley and the northern tip of Bribie Island, at about 9am.
The Westpac Life Saving Rescue Helicopter landed nearby but neither of the plane’s occupants required medical treatment.
Aircrew member Elliott Rhodes-Bates said the Australian Marine Safety Authority had put out an alert about a light plane that was about to ditch in the water or land on the northern tip of Bribie.
Mr Rhodes-Bates said the plane’s pilot managed to avoid the soft sand to land safely and both occupants were uninjured.
The landing happened at high tide when hard sand was most limited and left locals impressed at the pilot’s skill in getting all wheels down without incident.
The Sling 2, operated by GoFly Aviation, was on its first flight of the morning and is understood to have experienced engine failure.
GoFly Aviation office manager Anne Maree Britton said the senior instructor, Michael did a few circuits without incident before carrying out the emergency landing.
She said he did an “awesome job in making the Mayday call, selecting a beach, and bringing the plane and student down safely”.
Tomas Murray, who identified himself as a flight instructor from the flight school, posted on social media that the instructor had done everything right.
“All occupants are okay. Instructor and student on board. Instructor did an amazing job followed all correct procedures during the emergency,” Mr Murray wrote.
“Plane will be assessed by flight engineers and a report will be made. No further comment required.”
The emergency landing was only the second incident for GoFly in 12 years of operation.
The plane was hitched to a surf life saving utility and towed from its resting position shortly before 1pm.
Ms Britton said its wings were removed and the plane was being transported by truck to an aviation maintenance firm for assessment.
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