6 people killed after small plane crashes off San Diego coast
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Six people were killed after a small plane crashed into the ocean off San Diego on Sunday, authorities said.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a report at 12:45 p.m. that a twin-engine Cessna 414 had crashed about three miles west of Point Loma. A debris field was found off the coast in an area where the water was estimated to be 200 feet deep, according to the Coast Guard.
Multiple agencies worked together to scour the area for survivors Sunday afternoon and evening. This included air and marine Coast Guard crews, air and marine U.S. Customs and Border Protection crews, San Diego Harbor Police boat crews and San Diego lifeguard crews.
The Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter crew remained on scene overnight to continue the search, and helicopter crews rejoined the effort at first light, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves told The Times.
But no survivors were found.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Monday morning that the pilot and five passengers were killed in the crash, which destroyed the Cessna plane. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the incident.
The plane took off from San Diego International Airport at 12:24 p.m. en route to Phoenix and crashed just minutes later, around 12:30 p.m., according to the FAA and flight tracking website FlightAware.
In the moments leading up to the crash, air traffic control can be heard telling the pilot to gain altitude quickly and the pilot struggling to do so, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net.
The captain can be heard shouting, “mayday, mayday, mayday” seconds before impact.
Three deaths have been confirmed after a plane crashed in a San Diego neighborhood. Some residents suffered minor injuries amid damage to at least 10 homes.
The plane had the tail number N414BA, which is registered to Optimal Health Systems, a maker of nutritional supplements that is based in Pima, Ariz. Company founder Doug Grant told The Times that although the company previously owned the plane, it sold it and transferred ownership to a group of private individuals in 2023.
“We personally knew several of the passengers on board, and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community,” Grant said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.”
Local resident Tyson Wislofsky witnessed the crash while surfing near Point Loma on Sunday afternoon.
“I saw him come down at angle. He wasn’t flying straight to the ground,” Wislofsky told NBC4 News. “The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. Full throttle.”
Information on the identities of those killed was not immediately available.
The crash comes two and a half weeks after a Cessna 550 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego, killing all six on board and burning several homes.
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