Six people are missing after a small plane crashed into the ocean off San Diego on Sunday, authorities said.
The twin-engine Cessna 414 went down roughly 3 miles west of the southern California city at 12:30 p.m. — shortly after take off, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Coast Guard was still searching for those on board after debris was found scattered in the sea near the Point Loma neighborhood, officials said. The water in the vicinity is about 200 feet deep.
The pilot had told air traffic controllers that he was struggling to climb in the moments after taking off, according to Live ATC audio.
The controller 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 then directed him to land at a nearby US naval airport, according to the audio.
Moments later, the pilot repeatedly signaled the “Mayday” distress call before controllers lost radar contact.
A man who was out surfing when the plane went down told NBC 7 that he saw the aircraft plummet 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 6 seconds later, it was dead silent. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed,” said the witness, Tyson Wislofsky.
The plane was en route to Phoenix, Ariz., at the time, according to data from the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com.
The names of those on board weren’t immediately released by authorities.
The plane was apparently owned by Arizona-based vitamin and nutritional supplement maker Optimal Health Systems, the feds said.
But the company said it had sold the plane to a group of private individuals in 2023, although it knew some of those on board at the time of the crash.
“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,” the company’s founder, Doug Grant, said in a statement.
With Post wires
