Search Suspended for 6 People Killed in Small Plane Crash Off California, Coast Guard Says
The agency said crews combed over 300 square miles for over 35 combined hours before the search was suspended
Among those killed in the crash are a husband and wife, as well as a father and his three sonsThe search for six people involved in a plane crash off the coast near San Diego has been suspended.
The Coast Guard announced the suspension of the search in a news release published on Tuesday, June 10.
The Cessna 414 went down approximately three miles west of Point Loma, according to the Coast Guard, which 'searched over 300 square miles for over 35 combined hours' with its 'partner agencies.'
The Coast Guard said watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego were initially informed of the crash around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. The search was suspended at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
"The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one," said Lieutenant Commander Justin Brooks, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector San Diego, in a statement.
He added, "We appreciate the work of our partners throughout the search efforts, and our hearts are with the loved ones of those involved in the crash."
The pilot of the downed plane was identified by a family member as Landon Baldwin, from Pima, Ariz., according to Fox affiliate KSAZ and NBC affiliate KNSD. Kirsten Baldwin, another relative, confirmed that Landon's wife Torrie was on board.
The husband and wife, who were both in their 20s, left behind two young children, KSAZ reported. A father and his three adult sons, also from Arizona, were also reportedly on the plane.
'I was deeply shocked,' Kristen told the station. 'I didn't want to believe it at first because it just didn't seem like it could happen to this couple who is so awesome that I knew.'
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A witness previously told KNSD that he initially thought the plane was originally doing stunts in the air. "I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn't flying straight to the ground," said Tyson Wislofsky.
"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,' he continued. 'I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed.'
But Landon's relative Kristen said the pilot "wouldn't prank to get close to the water, or do something adrenaline-seeking" and that she believed "something was incredibly wrong for that to have happened.'
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