The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a two-day search Tuesday for the bodies of six people who were aboard a light airplane that crashed into the ocean off the coast of San Diego last weekend.
The federal maritime agency called off its efforts to locate the victims' remains at 10 a.m., "pending further developments," according to USCG public affairs.
The twin-engine Cessna 414 went down for unknown reasons several miles west of Point Loma early Sunday afternoon, shortly after taking off from San Diego International Airport en route to Phoenix, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.
"The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one," said Lt. Cmdr. Justin Brooks, a search-and-rescue coordinator with Coast Guard Sector San Diego. "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."
Aboard the plane in addition to the pilot when it went down at about 12:30 p.m. were his wife and another man traveling with his three sons, according to a report from the Aviation Safety Network. The identities of the deceased have been withheld pending family notification.
"After receiving instructions to turn ... after departure, the pilot radioed that he struggled to maintain heading and altitude," according to a preliminary ASN report. "(Aviation surveillance) data show that the aircraft entered a descending left turn, losing 1,900 feet in 13 seconds. The aircraft began to climb again, but (the) data show an erratic altitude and heading until the moment the aircraft impacted the surface of the water, six minutes after it had commenced the takeoff roll."
Search crews found scattered wreckage of the aircraft floating in an area where the water is about 200 feet deep, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves said.
Also participating in the search operations, which took place over about 300 square miles for roughly 35 total hours, were Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the San Diego Harbor Police Department and city lifeguards.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
