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

The Tecnam P2008 aircraft landed without incident on Collaroy Beach in northern Sydney in the early 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, police said.

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

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

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