The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for survivors Monday after a 1970 Cessna 414 with six people on board crashed about 3 miles west of Point Loma.
The crash was reported at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, said Petty Officer Ryan Graves of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Graves said crews had located a debris field. The depth of the water below the debris field was estimated to be about 200 feet, he said.
The six occupants included the pilot, his wife and a father with his three sons, according to a report from the Aviation Safety Network.
As of 11:30 p.m. last night, no survivors were found, but the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter remained on scene through the night, with helicopter crews expected to rejoin the search Monday morning, Graves added.
"After receiving instructions to turn to a heading of 180 after departure, the pilot radioed that he struggled to maintain heading and altitude," the ASN said in a statement. "ADS-B data show that the aircraft entered a descending left turn, losing 1,900 feet in 13 seconds. The aircraft began to climb again, but ADS-B 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."
A Sunday night update from the department stated additional crews scaled the search, including the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations crews, San Diego Harbor Police boats and San Diego Lifeguards.
The Phoenix-bound aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the San Diego International Airport, according to the Flight Safety Network website.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated on Sunday evening, the organization was investigating the crash.
