Six dead in plane crash off California coast as aircraft plummets into ocean
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Six people including the pilot’s wife and a father and his three sons are dead after a small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
The 1970 Cessna 414 was reported to have gone down about three miles west of Point Loma in San Diego about 12.45pm on Sunday.
The plane was headed for Phoenix and crashed soon after takeoff from San Diego Airport, having flown out from Arizona.
All six on board were confirmed dead by the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday morning.
Audio of chatter between the pilot and Air Traffic Control explained that the plane was struggling to maintain altitude in the moments before the crash.
The pilot said he was having trouble maintaining his heading and climbing, as he twice turned back out to shore after trying to fly towards the coast.
Coast Guard recovery crews found the debris field and are searching for bodies in a Jayhawk helicopter (file photo pictured)
He told the controller he was only 1,000ft off the water and was urged to climb to 4,000ft and land at a nearby US naval airport on Coronado Island.
But the pilot said he couldn’t see the airport, and soon after issued a Mayday and lost radio contact with the ground.
Coast Guard recovery crews found a debris field and oil slick and searched the area in a Jayhawk helicopter, plane, cutter, and two small boats.
San Diego lifeguards and Border Patrol assisted with the search and recovery of debris, but found no survivors.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The owner of the plane is listed by the FAA as Optimal Health Systems, a vitamin and supplements company based in Pima, Arizona.
A cutter and two small boats are also being used in the search
However, Douglas Grant, who founded the company with his wife Hilary Kit, said they sold the plane to private buyers in 2023.
‘We personally know several of the passengers onboard and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community,’ he said in a statement.
A surfer described seeing the out-of-control plane moments before the crash.
‘I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn’t flying straight to the ground,’ Tyson Wislofsky told NBC 7.
‘The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent.
‘I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed.’
