Plane makes emergency landing in Point Lookout

A small plane made an emergency landing at Civic Beach in Point Lookout on Monday afternoon.

Multiple fire, police and emergency crews were on the scene. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident, a Cessna 150 made an emergency landing on the beach in Point Lookout, nine miles east-southeast of John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2:20 p.m.

The airplane's pilot, Robert Lutz, told News12 that he was flying his plane back from Bay Bridge Airport, in Stevensville, MD, and was heading to Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip when he lost power and radioed for help. He added that picked the beach as a landing site because he knew it was unpopulated and the sand would be firm. Neither Lutz or his girlfriend, who was a passenger on the plane, were injured.

"The aircraft reportedly experienced an engine-related problem," an FAA spokesman said. "There were two people aboard."

“It was a perfect landing,” said Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department Commissioner Chas Thompson. “It was an emergency landing … the plane lost power.”

Thompson, who was on the scene, told the Herald that no injuries had been reported.

“He made a great landing,” Thompson said, adding that the pilot was able to avoid the water and put the single-engine plane down on the sand.

Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department Chief Jared Siegelman said that the plane was moved to Town Park at Point Lookout, where the FAA and a recovery company will tow it to an airport.

"Anywhere on the barrier island, you don't see a plane go down," Siegelman said. "Thank god he was an experienced pilot and no one got hurt."