Share An Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesperson said the pilot had to perform the tricky emergency landing after the aircraft's engine experienced an issue. Witness Don Cunningham said he was drinking a coffee at the North Narrabeen Surf Club when he saw the plane flying very low. 'I said "gee, that plane looks awfully low"… and there was no engine noise,' he told the ABC. 'I said "this looks pretty serious" and we just watched and then, very gently it came down, down, down. 'It came a long way down the beach and it finally touched down here. It seemed to take forever to land and it came down properly because it didn't flip or anything.'