Six people died over the weekend when the light airplane they were in crashed into the ocean off the coast of San Diego, the Federal Aviation Administration reported Monday.
The Cessna 414 went down for unknown reason several miles west of Point Loma at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, shortly after taking off from San Diego International Airport, according to the federal agency.
Aboard the Phoenix-bound aircraft in addition to the pilot were his wife and another man traveling with his three sons, according to a report from the Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Their identities 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, said Petty Officer Ryan Graves of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The USCG cutter Sea Otter remained on scene through the night, Graves said.
Also taking part in the search-and-recovery efforts were Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the San Diego Harbor Police Department and city lifeguards.
The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the crash.
