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Emergency landing on Florida beach kills beachgoer

Last Updated 28 July 2014, 13:27 IST

In a freak accident, a man was killed and his 9-year-old daughter critically injured when a small airplane struck them during emergency landing on a Florida beach.

The plane landed and struck Ommy Irizarry, 36, and his daughter, Oceana, 9, who were walking along the beach.

Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Wendy Rose said Venice Municipal Airport officials reported a plane in distress yesterday.

The pilot of a 1972 Piper Cherokee radioed that he would be unable to make it back to the airport and that he was instead going to attempt a landing on Caspersen Beach.

While Irizarry died on the spot, his daughter was airlifted to All Children's Hospital. She is believed to be in critical condition, according to the sheriff's office.

"The dad looked very bad," witness Zack Arceneaux told CNN affiliate Bay News 9. "They were performing CPR on him. He had blood on his face. It looked like he wasn't breathing at all."

The pilot and his passenger were uninjured. Both are from Englewood, Florida.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.

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(Published 28 July 2014, 13:27 IST)

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