Small plane crashes onto NSW beach in front of shocked onlookers

Beachgoers were forced to run for their lives as a small plane came crashing onto the sand of a New South Wales beach late yesterday.

Paul Tridgell was flying with a single passenger when his small plane started to malfunction.

"The engine started running very roughly, backfiring. Wouldn't give me any power to climb, I was at about 1000 feet," Mr Tridgell told Today.

He was forced to perform a crash landing on Racecourse Beach, Ulladulla, at about 6:20pm.

Officers attached to the South Coast police district attended the scene, with inquiries commenced to determine the circumstances of the crash.

Both occupants escaped without injury.