FLORIDA - A man was killed and a young girl seriously injured when a small plane made an emergency landing along a Florida beach Sunday.

Wendy Rose, spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, confirmed that the man died while the girl was critically injured.The man was believed to be the father of the young girl and the two were walking on Caspersen Beach when the plane landed.

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The pilot and his male passenger were unhurt when their Piper aircraft lost power and made an emergancy landing on Venice Beach Sunday afternoon. They had radioed the Venice airport around 2:45 P.M. saying the plane could not make it back to the airport and that they were going to attempt an emergency beach landing.

Rose said the time span between the distress call and the actual landing was so short there could not have been any emergency warnings made, leading to the unfortunate incident. 

The girl was airlifted to a children's hospital in St. Petersburg via helicopter but the identities of both the girl and the man were temporarily being withheld.

Authorities found the 1972 Piper Cherokee a few feet from the surf with its nose pointed down, nearly touching the sand. Photos and footage taken at the scene show the plane's left wing extending over the water's edge where police boats were anchored nearby and law enforcement officers stood close by.

Venice Beach Mayor John Holic, who is also a former air traffic controller, told ABC news that in the event of a power outtage while flying, a pilot should be able to scan his surroundings for a possible emergency landing.

The Federal Aviation Administration is already investigating the incident and investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are on their way to the site.

Tagsplane crash florida, plane crash caspersen, man killed plane crash florida