Pilot swims to shore with dog after plane crashes into Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles

A man and his dog swam safely to the shore in Los Angeles after the plane they were on crashed into the ocean off the California coast, authorities said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, in a post on X Sunday, said that rescuers were deployed to save a life after a small plane went into the water off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes. The L.A. Times reported that the plane went down not far from the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles.

Pilot, dog swam 100 - 200 yards

A spokesperson of the sheriff's department told USA TODAY that a call about the plane crash came around 5:20 p.m. Sunday. Rescue officials, including those from the U.S. Coast Guard, were dispatched to the scene of the accident.

The pilot and his dog were on board the aircraft, said the spokesperson. However, they were able to safely swim to the shore, about 100 - 200 yards away. No injuries were reported, the spokesperson said.

Plane crashed due to engine issues: FAA

The Federal Aviation Authority, in its preliminary report, said that "a single-engine Piper PA-32 crashed into the ocean off Rancho Palos Verdes, California, around 5:15 p.m. local time on Sunday, April 14, after the pilot reported engine issues."

A spokesperson of the aviation authority said that the matter remains under investigation.

The flight had taken off from Santa Monica at 5:03 p.m. and was only in the air for about 15 minutes before it crashed near Torrance, according to data on FlightAware. The plane was headed to Long Beach, the L.A. Times reported. The pilot has not been identified.

While the U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment, a spokesperson told the L.A. Times that the agency will look into ensuring there’s no environmental damage from the plane’s fuel.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.