Six people were killed on Sunday afternoon as a small plane crashed soon after takeoff — plummeting into the ocean close to San Diego. Searchers have since found a debris field off the coast of Point Loma and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed on Monday that the crash was ‘fatal’ for all on board the twin-engine Cessna 414. The incident took place at almost the same time as another crash across the country in Tennessee that left four people injured.
“A Cessna 414 crashed approximately 5 miles offshore near San Diego, California, around 12:30 pm local time on Sunday. Six people were on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates,” the FAA had shared soon after the incident.
A later update confirmed the fatalities which included five passengers and one crew member. The plane had gone down during its initial climb and efforts remain underway to ascertain the cause of the crash. The debris field was found later on Sunday about five kilometers off the coast. Coast Guard officials said the water in the search area was about 200 feet deep.
Authorities have not yet identified the six people on board — with FAA data indicating the plane was owned by vitamin and nutritional supplement maker Optimal Health Systems. The Arizona-based company however said in a statement that ithad sold the aircraft to a group of private individuals in 2023. Company founder Doug Grant however claimed in a statement that they had “personally know several of the passengers onboard” while offering condolences.
The pilot had reportedly told air traffic controllers soon after takeoff that he was struggling to maintain his heading and climb. Radar data posted by FlightAware indicated that the plane had also turned towards the shore twice before heading back out to sea. As per the audio posted by http://www.LiveATC.net, the controller had urged the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet after he reported the plane was only about 1,000 feet in the air. The controller eventually directed the pilot to land at a nearby U.S. naval airport on Coronado Island, but the pilot said he was unable to see the airport. A short time later, the pilot repeatedly signaled the “Mayday” distress call before controllers lost radar contact.
A man who was out surfing when the plane crashed told NBC 7 in San Diego that he saw the plane come down at an angle, then climb back into the clouds before diving again and crashing into the water.
“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,” Tyson Wislofsky told AP.
(With inputs from agencies)