OCEAN CITY — A local skydiving plane had to ditch in the bay near the Ocean City Municipal Airport last Sunday after the aircraft had an engine failure.
Around 1:30 p.m. last Sunday, one of the planes belonging to Skydive Ocean City took off from the Ocean City Municipal Airport with five people on board, including the pilot and four skydivers. At 5,000 feet, the aircraft reportedly suffered an engine failure, causing the pilot, identified as Matthew Cortigiani, 25, of Utah, to begin procedures for an emergency landing.
Due to the plane’s proximity to the airport, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in the Sinepuxent Bay. None of the individuals on board were seriously injured, although one individual was transported to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries out of an abundance of caution.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the Maryland State Police Berlin barrack received a 911 call reporting the downed plane in the Sinepuxent Bay. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were notified with an FAA representative responding to the scene. The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation also assisted at the scene. The FAA has assumed the crash investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Skydive Ocean City owner Jeanice Dolan said in a later release she and her staff were grateful the incident had a somewhat happy ending.
Not bad pilot correction @ 5,000 feet….
bringing her down with no loss of life
Whew! I’m glad this went OK. I bet some people shit their pants tho.
All the latest news, late.
Booo hiss with your negative waves.
This is kinda late isn’t it?