A recreational plane with three people on board has landed safely on a Sydney beach after its engine failed, officials in Australia said.

The Tecnam P2008 aircraft landed without incident on Collaroy Beach in northern Sydney early on Wednesday afternoon, a police statement said.

The 25-year-old male pilot, a 28-year-old female passenger and a one-year-old boy were not injured, officers added.

The pilot made a forced landing following a reported engine failure, said crash investigator the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Australia beach landing
The plane had three people on board (Mark Baker/AP)

The plane appeared to land gently on the beach just above the water line.

The plane had taken off from Bankstown Airport in south-west Sydney less than an hour before it had mechanical problems, Nine News reported.

“They were OK. A little bit shaken up. Obviously, not the intended flight path for them, but they were fine. We didn’t need to provide any medical treatment,” ambulance official Dave Stubbs told reporters.

Surfer Fabio Silvestre watched from the sea and said it was fortunate that no one was on the beach in its path.

The plane was a recreational category aircraft and any safety investigation would be conducted by the Recreational Aviation Australia agency.