Wreckage of Plane Containing 3 Bodies Found Near Oceanside

The wreckage of a small plane containing three bodies was found Thursday night in a canyon half a mile north of Oceanside Municipal Airport, authorities said.

The aircraft was found in a crevice, but it was not known late Thursday when or how the crash occurred, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Investigators from the office of the San Diego County Medical Examiner were told shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday that three bodies had been found inside the wreckage, Deputy Coroner Robert Engel said.

“I’m under the impression that the crash happened some time ago,” Engel said. “I don’t know if we’re talking hours or days or what. The wreckage was found sometime tonight (Thursday).”

Engel said coroner’s deputies had “a heck of a time finding the location” because of difficulty in maneuvering through the terrain.

The FAA spokesman, who identified himself as T. Aina, said from his office in Los Angeles that his agency had decided not to investigate until early today, “since it’s too dark at the site to really see anything.” However, investigators from the Oceanside Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s office were going ahead with their investigation.

Aina said no one knew when or exactly where the crash occurred. He said no one knew the type of aircraft involved--”But it’s not a helicopter and not a commercial carrier,” he said--and no one knew the pilot of the plane. Deputy Coroner Engel said he had heard the craft was a small plane, but knew no more than that.

“This is totally unconfirmed,” said FAA spokesman Aina, “so, we have nothing to say about it. For all we know, that wreckage could have been there for years.”

He said representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board planned to arrive at the site early today to assist those from the FAA. The FAA and NTSB investigate “any and all” crashes.

A spokesman for the Oceanside Police Department said officers were checking the site for clues, but he had no other information late Thursday.

“We don’t know any more about it,” the spokesman said.