According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the plane left South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and was flying over Utah County when the pilot said the aircraft began to experience engine trouble and he attempted to troubleshoot the issue.

The report said the pilot headed for Provo Airport but realized the plane would not make it and landed on the shoreline. The plane sustained some damage, and the FAA has been contacted and will conduct an investigation, the sheriff’s office said.

A Draper man who identified himself as the pilot was at the scene of the crash alongside his father midday Wednesday speaking with authorities. He expressed gratitude to be alive but declined to comment further.

The incident captured the attention of neighbors in an otherwise quiet lakeside neighborhood.

Vineyard resident Mike Lee said he was lying on his couch in his lakeside home Tuesday evening when he heard a loud screeching sound from outside. At first, he thought someone had driven into his fence, which he said has happened before, but when he went to look, he saw people running toward a plane.

“I was kind of shocked, thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, are they OK?'” Lee said. “But when I saw that the plane was intact and people ran over there and sirens were coming, I thought, ‘OK, they can handle it.’ I didn’t want to interfere.”

Lee showed a video to the Daily Herald, recorded on a neighbor’s camera, that showed the plane gliding onto the beach southbound, dragging on the ground for several feet before turning 180 degrees and coming to a halt.

Lee said he was grateful the airplane did not land on his house and was impressed with the pilot’s efforts.

“Miracle,” he said. “A good pilot. I thought, ‘That’s a good landing.'”