A tragic incident occurred off the coast of San Diego on Sunday when a small twin-engine Cessna 414 plane crashed into the ocean, resulting in the death of all six passengers on board. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the fatal accident, which took place approximately three miles west of the southern California city around 12:30 p.m., shortly after the aircraft had taken off.
The FAA reported on Monday that there were no survivors from the crash. Debris from the wreckage was discovered near the Point Loma neighborhood, in waters approximately 200 feet deep. The aircraft reportedly plunged “nose first” into the ocean, three miles from the city’s coastline.
According to audio from Live ATC, the pilot had communicated with air traffic controllers shortly after takeoff, expressing difficulty in gaining altitude. The pilot reported that the plane was only about 1,000 feet in the air, prompting the controller to instruct him to ascend to 4,000 feet. The controller then directed the pilot to land at a nearby US naval airport.
However, moments later, the pilot issued several “Mayday” distress calls before radar contact was lost. A local surfer, Tyson Wislofsky, witnessed the crash, recounting how the aircraft descended at an angle, ascended back into the clouds, and then dove again before crashing into the water. Wislofsky described the eerie silence that followed the splash, indicating the plane’s high-speed, nose-first impact.
At the time of the crash, the plane was en route to Phoenix, Arizona, according to data from flight-tracking website Flightaware.com. The identities of the passengers have not yet been released by authorities.
The aircraft was reportedly owned by Optimal Health Systems, an Arizona-based vitamin and nutritional supplement manufacturer. However, the company stated that it had sold the plane to a group of private individuals in 2023, some of whom were on board at the time of the crash. The company’s founder, Doug Grant, expressed his condolences to those affected by the tragedy, acknowledging that several of the passengers were known personally to him and were valued members of their small community.