A Volusia County lifeguard was the first person in the water Thursday after a small banner plane crashed into the ocean near 27th Avenue in New Smyrna Beach.

Nicholas Gerow was working in a lifeguard tower when he heard a loud noise and looked up.

“It was a normal day on tower, very relaxing, then I heard a very loud noise,” Gerow said.

Video recorded by a beachgoer shows the plane descending quickly before crashing and flipping into the water.

“When I looked up a little bit, it looked like the plane started going down very fast,” Gerow said.

Gerow ran into the ocean and headed toward the aircraft. He said the plane initially looked more like a propeller than a full-size aircraft as he approached it.

The pilot was able to get out of the plane without help and suffered minor injuries. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The crash happened about a month after News 6 reported on training involving Volusia County sheriff’s deputies and lifeguards preparing for the possibility of a major airliner going down in the water. While Thursday’s crash involved a much smaller plane, the response training showed how lifeguards must be prepared for a range of emergencies.

“It’s not just going into the water and saving someone from your standard rip current,” Capt. AJ Miller said. “It’s shark bites, it’s plane crashes, it’s lightning strikes.”

Miller said lifeguards can also respond to vehicle crashes along A1A or on the beach, as well as emergencies on pool decks.

Gerow has been a lifeguard for a little more than a year. He said the response showed he can remain calm and handle unexpected situations.

“It showed I’m ready for situations like that and I can be calm when I handle situations like that,” Gerow said.