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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A small plane crashed into waters near the sand at Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon as horrified beachgoers looked on, prompting a rescue effort for the pilot.
The banner plane was seen flying low, parallel to the beach, before crashing at about 1:30 p.m.
Several people, including some surfers, rushed toward the wreckage as it floated just a stone's throw from the shoreline.
A bystander's video later showed California State Parks lifeguards and Huntington Beach firefighter-paramedics tending to the rescued pilot, a man who was not seriously injured.
The pilot was sitting upright on the tailgate of a pickup truck as a neck brace was placed on him. The Huntington Beach Fire Department says the pilot did not suffer serious injuries and was transported to a hospital as a precaution.
"Suddenly we heard a thump," said witness Corinne Baginski, whose 17-year-old daughter was on the beach for a lifeguarding competition at the time. "The kids saw it and suddenly they turned and ran towards it."