A small private plane carrying three passengers crashed into the ocean off the coast of Pacific Grove, California, on Saturday night, prompting an urgent search and rescue mission, according to a report published by The Associated Press.
Emergency services responded after a lost radar alert and several 911 calls were made, KSBW-TV reported.
Eyewitnesses told the network that they’d heard the plane’s engine revving, which was followed by a splash.
The ill-fated aircraft was a Beech 95-B55 Baron, and had taken off from San Carlos Airport at 10:11 pm local time, as reported by the AP. It was last tracked at 10:37 pm near Monterey, according to FlightAware.com.
The US Coast Guard estimates that the plane went down approximately 183 to 274 meters off the Pacific Grove shoreline. Local residents told the news agency that they saw debris from the crash washing up onto the beach.
Search and Rescue Mission Underway
The US Coast Guard, officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have been deployed in the search and rescue operation, the report stated.
(This is a breaking news story)
