No one was hurt Sunday after an engine issue forced a sightseeing biplane pilot to make an emergency landing on a Chappaquiddick beach. 

After the landing, cousins Sarah Sullivan and Poppy Weiss pose with the plane.

Courtesy Sarah Sullivan

After the landing, cousins Sarah Sullivan and Poppy Weiss pose with the plane.

Courtesy Sarah Sullivan

Just before noon, the bright red biplane piloted by Michael Creato experienced a mechanical problem, and he landed the plane safely on a sandy strip on the bayside of Cape Pogue, witnesses and officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the landing Sunday afternoon, saying the Waco UPF-7 landed on the beach at about 11:50 a.m.. The agency is investigating the incident.

Public safety officials credited Mr. Creato’s expertise in the air and his familiarity with the area as factors in the safe landing. 

“I would say there was a very real chance of an awful tragedy,” said Edgartown police Chief Chris Dolby. “Thankfully [it was] averted by the pilot’s superior skill level and the countless hours of flight time and familiarity with that plane.”

Sarah Sullivan, a 21-year-old from New York’s Long Island, was in the plane with her younger cousin Poppy Weiss. Ms. Sullivan had breakfast at the restaurant at the Katama Airfield the previous day, when she saw the sightseeing flights operating out of the airstrip. Though her parents were hesitant to let her go up in the air at first, the family later booked a trip for Sunday.  

Ms. Sullivan’s little brothers took a ride first, and then she and Poppy went up after. With Mr. Creato in the cockpit, the cousins saw Nantucket and looked for sharks. Then, suddenly, they heard the engine stop. 

No one was hurt in the incident, according to officials.

Ray Ewing

No one was hurt in the incident, according to officials.

Ray Ewing

“I heard him say ‘Uh oh,’” Ms. Sullivan recounted in a phone interview from the ferry Sunday afternoon. 

Mr. Creato told the cousins he was going to take the plane down on the beach, she said. The plane landed with no issue, and everyone walked away injury free. 

“It was a really really safe landing,” Ms. Sullivan said. “He was composed the entire time.” 

When the plane landed, town officials reached out to Chappy residents to see if they could check on pilot and passengers due to the remoteness of the area, said Alexis Colantonio, whose family has property on Cape Pogue. 

Ms. Colantonio, her father Victor, and son Emmett ran down to the beach, and found everyone safe and sound. 

“I’m just really happy they were all okay,” she said. “I’ve never landed a plane but it looked like a really beautiful landing.” 

A boat heads out to the red biplane Sunday on Chappaquiddick.

Ray Ewing

A boat heads out to the red biplane Sunday on Chappaquiddick.

Ray Ewing

State police, Edgartown police, Edgartown fire and other first responders all went out to the island off Edgartown to help with the incident. The Trustees of Reservations, which manages oversand vehicle trails on Chappy, said they transported the plane passengers to the Dike Bridge to meet with police. 

Mr. Creato did not respond to a phone call Sunday afternoon, but the tour company did put out a statement on social media, saying the pilot made the decision to land on a stretch he was familiar with in order to prioritize the safety of the passengers. 

“We thank you all for your kind words and concerns, and we thank Mike for doing what was needed with care, dedication, and years of hard work and training," Classic Aviators wrote on Facebook.

Chief Dolby confirmed that the plane was able to get back up into the air and was flown back to the Katama Airfield. 

Classic Aviators has been operating out of the airfield for more than 20 years, flying the classic plane with the open cockpit. Airfield manager Michael Nagle praised Mr. Creato’s landing. 

“It’s scary stuff,” he said. “Michael did a great job.”

During the flight, Ms. Sullivan told Mr. Creato that she had never been to Chappy.

“Now I have,” she said with a laugh. “It was incredible.”