Tragic Aircraft Incident off San Diego Claims Six Lives

Tragic Plane Crash Claims Lives Off San Diego Coast

On Sunday afternoon, a small twin-engine plane tragically went down off the San Diego coast, resulting in the loss of all six individuals on board, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The incident occurred around 12:30 PM, shortly after the aircraft took off from a local airport, heading back to Phoenix after a prior flight from Arizona.

According to data from the flight tracking website FlightAware, the Cessna 414 had been in the air for only a brief period before encountering difficulties. Search operations managed to locate a debris field roughly five miles offshore from Point Loma, a coastal neighborhood of San Diego. U.S. Coast Guard officials indicated that the depth of the water in this area is approximately 200 feet.

Details of the Incident

The aircraft was reportedly owned by Optimal Health Systems, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements.
However, the company disclosed that it had sold the plane to private individuals in 2023, raising questions about current ownership records.
Doug Grant, the founder of Optimal Health Systems, expressed condolences, revealing familiarity with several of the passengers aboard the ill-fated flight.

For further investigation, the FAA has deferred inquiries about the ownership of the plane to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has yet to release additional information regarding the crash.

Rescue Efforts and Eyewitness Accounts

Assistance was provided by the San Diego Harbor Police, who utilized sonar technology to locate the crash site. Additionally, the Coast Guard coordinated with the San Diego Fire Department Lifeguards, who reported finding an oil sheen and various debris in the crash vicinity. Any items recovered by the lifeguards have since been handed over to Coast Guard officials.

Prior to the crash, air traffic controllers had communicated with the pilot, who struggled to maintain altitude and heading. Multiple attempts were made to guide the aircraft toward a nearby U.S. naval airport on Coronado Island, but visibility issues hampered these efforts. The pilot issued several “Mayday” distress calls before communication and radar contact were lost.

An eyewitness, identified as Tyson Wislofsky, who was surfing at the time, recounted seeing the aircraft descend at an angle before rising into the clouds and then crashing into the sea. “After I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed,” he stated in an interview with NBC 7 San Diego.

Rescue Operations

The Coast Guard deployed a significant response, including two helicopters and numerous vessels, to conduct search operations in an effort to locate any survivors or additional debris from the crash. This incident follows a recent similar aviation disaster in San Diego, during which a small Cessna also crashed in challenging weather conditions, claiming six lives.