Hudson redux: Plane makes emergency landing at beach

A pilot guided a light plane and his five passengers to a safe landing in shallow waters in northern Australia on Friday - and walked away with his baggage.

The dual-propeller Piper Chieftain experienced engine trouble shortly after takeoff from the frontier city of Darwin. It quickly descended as pilot Steve Bolle sought a place on a nearby beach to make an emergency landing reminiscent of the dramatic splashdown of an Airbus 320 in New York's Hudson River last month.

The plane came to rest on a sand bar in Darwin Harbour in about two feet of water at low tide. All six people were able to wade the 200 meters to the beach. News photos showed a drenched Bolle lugging his bag ashore with him.