A pilot and his wife are among the six dead from the small plane crash along the San Diego coast. This horrific crash of a Cessna 414 occurred on Sunday, June 8, around 12:30 PM, according to PEOPLE.
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San Diego Plane Crash Leaves 6 Dead, Including Pilot And Wife
The small plane took off from San Diego International Airport and was flying to Phoenix, Arizona. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the aircraft crashed “under unknown circumstances.” It collided with the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
From this accident came six deaths, and a family member identified two of the victims. It was pilot Landon Baldwin and his wife Torrie. The fatal crash left the relative stunned.
“I was deeply shocked,” said the family member, Kirsten Baldwin, to KSAZ. “I didn’t want to believe it at first because it just didn’t seem like it could happen to this couple who is so awesome that I knew.”
Kirsten is still grieving the death of her cousin by marriage. The outlet also mentioned that Landon made a distress call just moments before the crash. Kirsten said Landon wanted to turn his love for flying into a career.
The couple, both in their 20s, hailed from Pima, Arizona. They have left behind two children under five years old.
According to the US Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Still, Kirsten believes the crash could’ve happened due to maintenance issues.
“There might have been some maintenance problems,” Kirsten said. “But all I know is that they nosedived into the water, and from knowing Landon, that’s not something, he wouldn’t pull a prank to get close to the water, or do something adrenaline-seeking. Something was incredibly wrong for that to have happened.”
According to the plane’s data, the pilot told air traffic controllers that the aircraft was having trouble gaining altitude. He told the controller he could only reach around 1,000 feet in the air.
He urged Landon to ascend to 4,000 feet. Unfortunately, he was unable to see a US naval airport on Coronado Island, where they directed him to land. That’s when the pilot issued a mayday, soon after losing contact.