Rescuers swarmed into action over the weekend after a small, twin-engine airplane crashed into the ocean off the San Diego coast with six people onboard, authorities said.
The crash was first reported about 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, about three miles west of Point Loma, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officials described the downed aircraft as a Cessna 414. The fate of the passengers was unclear as search and rescue efforts continued.
“The depth of water below the debris field is reported to be approximately 200 feet,” the USCG said in a written statement.
The plane had taken off from San Diego International Airport, headed to Phoenix, Arizona, according to NBC San Diego.
State and local agencies joined the USCS in the effort, with searchers scouring the area from both boats and aircraft.
An investigation is being carried out by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, FAA officials said.
Cessna crash is second deadly plane crash in San Diego in under three weeks
Six other people were killed in another small airplane crash in San Diego on May 22.
A Cessna 550 jet crashed into a military housing community, killing all passengers and also injuring eight people on the ground, City News Service reported at the time.
The crash occurred amid foggy conditions, and investigators were looking into whether a power issue that rendered several runway lights, as well as the weather information system, inoperable at the destination airport of Montgomery Field, may have played a role in the crash.
(This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Small airplane with six people onboard crashes off San Diego coast, search underway
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
