Pilot rescued within 30 seconds after ocean plane crash

Newly released video shows the swift rescue of a pilot who made an emergency landing into the ocean in Oakland Island, North Carolina in August 2025. On August 2, at 7:33 pm, the small, single‑engine airplane entered the water near the Oakland Island Pier, according to the Town of Oak Island. Drone footage released by the town shows the moment rescuers from the Beach Safety Unit extracted local pilot Mark Finkelstein from the overturned aircraft. "After tumbling forward on initial contact with the water, the plane came to rest mostly submerged in an upright position," the municipality said. "Surviving on a small pocket of air in the back of the aircraft’s cabin, Finkelstein was guided by rescuers feet‑first, under the water and out through the windshield." The pilot was extracted in less than 30 seconds and treated on shore for non‑life‑threatening injuries, and the aircraft was recovered and towed out of the water, the municipality reported.