The woman holds her child as a plane plunges towards the sea (Picture: AP)

A fatal crash in which a light aircraft plunged into the sea was inadvertently caught on camera by a woman on the shore.

The two people who died in the weekend plane crash off Ocean City, Maryland, were identified as off-duty police officers.

Joshua D Adickes, 27, of Berlin, and 43-year-old Thomas J Geoghegan Jr took off from the Ocean City Municipal Airport between 3.30 p.m. and 3.45 p.m. Sunday.

Whitney Rufo was photographing a woman holding a baby on the beach when the plane came into view.


The single-engine Nanchang CJ-6A is then seen smashing into the water as the woman seems oblivious to what is happening about a quarter of a mile offshore.



Investigators believe Geoghegan was piloting it and Adickes, the lone passenger, was sitting behind him.

The plane hits the sea (Picture: AP)

Mayor Rick Meehan says witnesses told police that the aircraft spun out of control on Sunday before crashing.

The bodies of the two men were recovered Monday from the wreckage of the plane which was in 30ft of water.

Divers had to work in zero visibility and rough waters and suspended operations in the afternoon because of dangerous conditions.

The Ocean City police department issued a statement Monday afternoon calling the men dedicated and courageous.

The department said Geoghegan has been a seasonal officer since 1991 and has served each summer since 2002.

He was most recently assigned to the patrol division and enjoyed taking friends for airplane rides.

Police say Adickes joined the department as a seasonal officer in 2011 and was hired full time last year. He was assigned to the patrol division and loved the beach.