A small plane out of Santa Barbara was forced to make an emergency landing on the sand at Huntington Beach late Thursday night.

The Cessna pilot began experiencing engine trouble around 9:30 p.m. and was unable to return to John Wayne Airport, the Huntington Beach Police Department said.

The police department's helicopter overheard radio traffic from the airport and located the plane as the distressed aircraft searched for a place to land.

The helicopter pilot maintained visual contact as the plane made an emergency landing on the sand between Lifeguard Towers 11 and 13 in the area of Newland Street and Pacific Coast Highway. "Both occupants of the plane were uninjured," the police department said.

No further details on what type of engine trouble the plane was experiencing were immedi

See Full Page