Pilot rescued after plane crashes near NC beach

Dramatic video shows a small aircraft crashing into the Atlantic Ocean just minutes after taking off from a North Carolina airfield, sparking a major rescue operation.

The single-engine plane’s pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in the water after experiencing an engine failure and being unable to return to the Cape Fear Regional Jetport, or land on the crowded beach, the Oak Island Fire Department (OIFD) said in a statement.

In video of the crash, the plane is seen coming into land at speed on the ocean, before flipping over in the water, in terrifying scenes earlier this month.

Drone footage from rescuers shows the pilot, Mark Finkelstein, being pulled out by his feet through the windshield, after only being able to breathe a small pocket of air in the back of the cabin.

“On Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, at 7:33 PM, Mark Finkelstein’s small, single-engine aircraft began experiencing engine failure. Unable to return to the Cape Fear Regional Jetport and seeing the beach area to be crowded, Mark made the decision to perform an emergency water landing in the ocean near the Oak Island Pier,” the statement read.

“After tumbling forward on initial contact with the water, the plane came to rest mostly submerged in an upright position,” the statement continued.

“Surviving on a small pocket of air in the back of the aircraft’s cabin, Finkelstein was guided by rescuers feet-first, under the water and out through the windshield.”

The entire rescue operation took just 30 seconds, the OIFD said.

“My deepest gratitude to all those who participated in rescuing and caring for me after my water landing … You were literally lifesavers!” Finkelstein wrote later in a statement shared by the OIFD.

Finkelstein visited the Southport Fire Department Caswell Station on Aug. 11 to meet his rescuers, thank them, and present them with an award for their quick work.