Small plane makes emergency landing on shores of Mission Beach

MISSION BEACH, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego Fire-Rescue confirmed Tuesday around noon, a small plane landed on the shores of Mission Beach.

The pilot, Victor Schneider, was flying with his daughter, who is a flight attendant, when the plane's engine suddenly failed.

"That's my main concern, I didn't want to hit anybody," Schneider said.

Schneider says he had about 10 feet of hard sand to land on and had to also maneuver the landing amid high tide.

"I had a complete engine failure," Schneider said. "I came over onto the beach, and there were very few people. I had a really good open spot to put it on the beach."

The two were not injured during the emergency landing. There were also no injuries reported from beachgoers.

The plane is a 1953 Cessna 170, and Schneider says he's logged about 25,000 hours of flying over the years. He's had this Cessna for over 23 years, and he says this is the first time he's had a problem with it.

The FAA is expected to arrive to help move the plane from the shore and return it to Oceanside, where it departed.