During an air show at Cocoa Beach in Florida, a restored World War II dive bomber was having issues. The aircraft had to make an emergency crash landing in the water. One of the TBM Avenger’s engines cut out, and the pilot was able to navigate the crash safely.
The pilot was the only one on board, and he managed to get the plane down safely without getting hurt. Below you can watch TikTok footage of the landing as it happened.
There was another person who was taking maternity photos and got some amazing pictures. Amber Ditmer posted them to her Facebook page publicly.
The plane had just undergone extensive rehab. It was cleared for flight so when its engine cut out it was a surprise to the pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating why the engine malfunctioned.
It’s still neat to watch the stunts but perhaps this incident will make their inspections even more strict in the future.
The Thunderbirds have performed over 4,000 shows in total. During those shows 21 pilots have passed. Their track record is much better than the Blue Angels which have about a 10% chance of dying when during the duration of their employment.
