6 people killed in crash of small aircraft off San Diego, FAA says
Six people were killed when a small plane crashed into the ocean off San Diego on Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday.
The final moments before the twin-engine Cessna crash – which triggered a major search of the Pacific Ocean near San Diego – are captured in an air traffic control audio recording from LiveATC.net.
'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' the pilot of the Cessna 414 can be heard shouting on the recording only five minutes after taking off from San Diego International Airport.
The pilot and five passengers were killed when the plane crashed into the water 'under unknown circumstances,' the FAA told CNN. The Coast Guard is searching a debris field.
An urgent exchange is heard on the audiotape as the pilot tells an air traffic controller he is struggling to maintain a heading.
'What seems to be the issue?' the air traffic controller can be heard asking
'Just struggling right now to maintain heading … and climb,' the pilot replied. The controller from the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control advised the pilot to land at nearby Naval Air Station North Island.
Flight tracking data shows the plane taking off at 12:25 p.m. local time bound for Phoenix. In the five minutes that followed, the plane reached a maximum altitude of only 2,100 feet before making two turns to the left, according to open-source data from ADS-B Exchange.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
Weather conditions at the time of the crash were not particularly poor. Visibility was 10 miles and winds were at about 8 mph from the west-northwest, with no gusts. There was a thick, overcast cloud layer at around 1500 feet, according to data from nearby airports analyzed by CNN meteorologists.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Coast Guard suspends search for plane that crashed into the ocean off San Diego and killed 6
The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesn't expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSB's investigator isn't even immediately travelling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday — one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Air traffic controllers quickly became concerned about the plane after it failed to climb over 1,000 feet or turn back east after taking off. The pilot reported having trouble climbing and maintaining his heading before repeatedly calling out 'Mayday' before the plane disappeared from radar. This crash came just weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people . Those two are just the latest in a string of deadly crashes , mishaps and near misses in aviation this year ever since an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, killing 67 people. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Coast Guard suspends search for plane that crashed into the ocean off San Diego and killed 6
The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesn't expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSB's investigator isn't even immediately travelling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday — one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Air traffic controllers quickly became concerned about the plane after it failed to climb over 1,000 feet or turn back east after taking off. The pilot reported having trouble climbing and maintaining his heading before repeatedly calling out 'Mayday' before the plane disappeared from radar. This crash came just weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people. Those two are just the latest in a string of deadly crashes, mishaps and near misses in aviation this year ever since an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, killing 67 people.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Plane crash reported near MTSU in Murfreesboro
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — A small aircraft went down in Murfreesboro Tuesday afternoon, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft— a Beechcraft Bonanza A36— crashed in a wooded area at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, the small aircraft went down in the area of Clark Boulevard. READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Three people were reportedly on the plane and have since been taken to a hospital. Authorities said all three individuals on board are listed in stable condition. The FAA is investigating what led to the crash. No additional details were immediately provided. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
