Emergency landing for small plane

A small single-engine aircraft landed safely in the surf off Rockaway Beach last night after its pilot reported he and his two passengers were having a "rough ride," the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The pilot and passengers in the Piper PA28 model plane were not hurt in the 7 p.m. incident, said FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac. The plane landed near Beach 56th Street.

Harbor and aviation units of the New York Police Department responded to the scene, said Lt. John Grimpel, a NYPD spokesman. The occupants of the plane were not identified.

But Fox 5 News interviewed one passenger, identified as Clark Oler, who said the incident was not stressful.

"It was a really smooth landing," he said.

Police say the plane took off from Farmingdale, where Republic Airport is located, and was headed west but its destination was not known.

The plane was not headed for nearby Kennedy Airport, said a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokeswoman.

Salac and Grimpel said the incident will be investigated.

The plane is registered to Plane Nonsense Inc., a company based in Bear, Del., according to FAA records.