Heart-stopping rescue of North Carolina pilot after plane crash captured on drone footage goes viral

OAK ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA: A dramatic video capturing the breathtaking rescue of a pilot after his plane crashed into the ocean off North Carolina’s coast is going viral across social media.

The heart-stopping footage shows the moment emergency crews pulled pilot Mark Finkelstein to safety following a harrowing water landing near Oak Island Pier. The crash occurred on August 2, when Finkelstein’s small aircraft suffered engine failure, forcing him to make an emergency landing in the ocean. Fortunately, he escaped with only minor injuries.

Video shows rescuers pulling a pilot feet-first through windshield of a submerged aircraft

A small aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean just minutes after taking off from a North Carolina airfield.

Pilot Mark Finkelstein had no choice but to ditch his single-engine plane into the water on August 2, after suffering engine failure and realizing he couldn't return to Cape Fear Regional Jetport — or safely land on the crowded beach. The Oak Island Fire Department (OIFD) confirmed the emergency in a public statement.

Newly released drone footage captures the terrifying moment the two-seater plane flipped and crashed off the coast of Oak Island, NC. Trapped in the submerged aircraft, Finkelstein managed to find a small pocket of air in the rear of the cabin, barely enough to stay alive.

The dramatic video shows two first responders racing toward the wreckage, pulling Finkelstein feet-first through the windshield. They quickly placed him onto a rescue raft and transported him to safety within just 30 seconds, according to the OIFD.

Pilot expresses his ‘deepest gratitude’ to rescuers

In an interview with Wilmington's NBC affiliate WECT, Mark Finkelstein recalled the harrowing seconds after impact.

“I wasn’t focused on what I was going to do as a result of the crash,” he said. “I was focused on the training and what I felt I needed to do. You know, get the door open before I landed, that sort of thing. I just focused on what I needed to do and wasn’t thinking further ahead than that.”

He added, “I was so fortunate that the impact didn’t injure me and doubly fortunate that the Oak Island Water Rescue got to me so quickly. That was huge. That was the key to the whole thing.”

Finkelstein later shared his gratitude in a written statement, “My deepest gratitude to all those who participated in rescuing and caring for me after my water landing … You were literally lifesavers!”

On August 11, Finkelstein visited the Southport Fire Department’s Caswell Station to personally thank his rescuers. He presented them with a special award to honor their swift, life-saving actions.

Internet hails Mark Finkelstein’s rescuers

As the video of the pilot being rescued from a submerged aircraft after an engine failure went viral, internet users quickly flooded social media with their reactions.

One user wrote, "Wow! The rescue team were amazing!! I hope the pilot is doing well. How frightening!" Another suggested, "Give those boys a medal. Amazing rescue." A commenter noticed, "Seems kind of lucky the front window broke out."

A person wrote, "That man is so incredibly lucky Awesome seeing amazing response time and him surviving this crash. Crazy that we have the tech now with drones to see this stuff up close."

One more hailed, "Pretty awesome response time."

"That’s insane timing. imagine surviving a plane crash and getting scooped up half a minute later. feels like a movie scene," one more tweet read. 

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