MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — All three individuals aboard a small twin-engine airplane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean near California’s central coast did not survive, according to law enforcement authorities.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office confirmed late Sunday that the trio on the aircraft, which went down approximately 300 yards (275 meters) off Point Pinos, had died. Officials have not disclosed the cause of the crash that occurred on Saturday.
Witnesses recounted hearing the airplane engine accelerating followed by a splash in the ocean, as reported by KSBW-TV. Later, people on the shore observed debris from the crashed aircraft washing up on the beach.
The twin-engine Beech 95-B55 Baron with three people aboard took off from the San Carlos airport at 10:11 p.m. and was last seen at 10:37 p.m. near Monterey, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware.com.
Searchers in a boat found one person around 3 a.m. Divers found the remaining two people inside the aircraft between 6:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. All three were unresponsive, the Coast Guard said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
