Pilot Survives Dewey Beach Crash

A banner-towing plane lost engine power and made an emergency crash landing in Dewey Beach, and the pilot survived unscathed.

Thomas J. Henry, 45, of Ellicott City, MD., was flying the single-engine Piper Cub midair when the engine shut down. While on its way to land off Tower Beach Road Saturday, the plane's propeller got caught in the sand and the plane flipped over into the water.

After he made the ditching, Henry was able to free himself, uninjured, from the wreckage, according to Delaware State Police.

Shane Karlik, owner of Pier Point Marina in Dewey Beach, told Delaware Online that banner planes have become a common sight along the coastal resort, especially in summer.

But Karlik added that he'd "never seen one go down."

Henry was the only person in the plane.

The crash is under investigation.

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