Overview

• Engine failure struck about 13 minutes into a planned 20‑minute flight after takeoff from Cape Fear Regional Jetport.
• The single‑engine aircraft flipped on contact with the water and came to rest mostly submerged in an upright position near the pier.
• Members of the Oak Island Beach Safety Unit, Southport Fire Department, and Oak Island Water Rescue reached the plane within minutes.
• Rescuers extracted pilot Mark Finkelstein feet‑first through the cockpit windshield in under 30 seconds, and he was treated for a minor leg cut before returning home.
• The FAA has opened an investigation into the engine failure and the recovered wreckage, with no public findings released.