A pilot and his dog miraculously survived after their small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off California and were able to swim to shore Sunday.
The unidentified man was flying a single-engine Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six plane when it crashed into the waters off Rancho Palos Verdes at around 5:20 p.m., the Los Angeles Times reported.
The man and his pup survived the initial crash and swam the 150 to 200 yards to shore, near the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD).
A bystander who witnessed the plane go down called 911.
Emergency responders from the sheriff’s Air Rescue 5 team responded as well as deputies from the Lomita station, the Special Enforcement Bureau of the LASD said on X.
The deputies met the man and his dog at the shore.
The pilot was uninjured in the crash, the Los Angeles County Fire Department told the LA Times.
The 1981 plane — which sank following the wreck — may have had “engine issues,” the Federal Aviation Administration told the outlet.
