A pilot who, along with his passenger, escaped injury after their plane crashed into the sea in Half Moon Bay, off the California coast, on Tuesday, August 20, has denied claims that the incident was staged.

A Coast Guard helicopter responded to the scene after being contacted by passengers on a second plane who witnessed the crash.

“I’ve heard some rumors [it was staged],” said Lesh to KPIX5. “I’ve heard that I did this as a publicity stunt…No, it’s not true, for many reasons. One, I just bought this brand new airplane. It was my pride and joy on its first maiden voyage. I put a ton of money into it in the last 2 1/2 months making it exactly the airplane that I wanted. It’s actually insured for less than the actual value of the plane.”

Lesh reaffirmed his denial to Storyful, saying the incident “obviously wasn’t staged.”

The Coast Guard confirmed in a statement it had responded to the scene. “The second pilot’s quick response to report the downed plane and remain on scene greatly aided the Coast Guard’s prompt response and ability to save two lives,” said Lt Cmdr Joshua Murphy, the pilot of the rescue chopper.

Lesh, a skier with a history of social media stunts, has had run-ins with authorities in the past; in July, as reported in The Aspen Times, the US Forest Service opened an investigation into a case of two men snowmobiling in a protected area. Lesh shared images on social media showing him riding a snowmobile in the area.

Boulder County Jail records also show Lesh was arrested on June 30, 2014, and charged with second-degree arson. Credit: David Lesh via Storyful