Terrifying revelation about pilot who killed his pregnant wife and four other passengers in horror plane crash
A Cessna 414A piloted by 29-year-old Landon Baldwin plunged into the Pacific Ocean just three miles off the San Diego coast, shortly after taking off from San Diego International Airport en route back home to Arizona on June 8.
Landon, along with his 26-year-old pregnant wife Torrie, were killed, as were George 'Jeremy' Bingham, 48, of Arizona, and his three sons: George 'Bailey,' 26, Gavin, 24, and Ayden, 20.
A shocking new preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed that Landon had admitted feeling apprehensive in the days leading up to the fatal flight.
The report, issued Tuesday, noted that the pilot 'had expressed some nervousness about the busy Southern California airspace' and had performed practice runs at an Arizona airport.
Just two days before plunging into the frigid waters, the pilot flew the twin-engine aircraft to Springerville, Arizona, where he picked up a friend - identified in the report as the plane's 'regular pilot.'
According to the report, the friend had logged nearly 50 hours of flight time with Landon prior to last month's catastrophe.
Once in the air, the pair conducted four approaches under 'simulated instrument meteorological conditions,' with the friend - recently picked up - serving as a 'safety pilot' while Landon practiced.
Landon (pictured) expressed unease about the congested airspace just two days before the fatal flight and had performed practice runs at an Arizona airport, a newly released report revealed
Although the friend told investigators that Landon admitted feeling anxious while conducting practice runs - specifically about flying through congested airspace - he noted that he still 'appeared to be proficient' while reviewing the San Diego departure procedure.
The tragedy occurred the day after the pilot and five passengers flew from Phoenix to San Diego, with plans to return the very next day, June 8.
But around 12.30pm - shortly after taking off from the West Coast state - the plane suddenly went down, crashing violently into the waters below.
According to the preliminary report, in the final minutes of the flight, Landon communicated with air traffic control as the plane climbed nearly 2,000 feet over the ocean before making a steep descent to just 200 feet.
'Are you doing OK there? Do you need assistance?,' the controller asked, as reported by The Mercury News.
'Affirm,' the pilot responded as the plane flew at only just 1,000 feet.
The air traffic controller then 'queried' Landon about 'the nature of the problem,' to which he responded that he was 'just struggling' to climb to a higher altitude.
He continued flying at a dangerously low altitude and was instructed to land at the nearby Naval Air Station North Island, but admitted he couldn't see the airfield before executing 'a series of erratic maneuvers.'
Moments later, Landon let out anguished cries, urgently calling out to the controller, 'Mayday, mayday, mayday!' before the plane barreled into the water two miles offshore. according to Mercury News. No survivors were found.
When the plane went down, a police helicopter about 10 miles away responded quickly and spotted an oil slick on the water, according to the NTSB report.
The helicopter pilot ultimately told the agency that he 'estimated the cloud bases at roughly 800 feet with the highest layer near 1,600 feet.'
The cause of the crash remains unspecified in the newly released report, with the final conclusions expected to take up to two years to be fully determined, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Among the crash victims were 'Jeremy' Bingham, 48, who is survived by his wife and the boys' mother, Stephanie, and their youngest daughter and recent high school graduate, Kadie.
Jeremy's son Bailey, 26, left behind his wife Ashlyn and their nine-month-old son, Carter. Ayden, 20, is now mourned by his fiancée, Camille.
Landon and Torrie leave behind their two young children, according to a GoFundMe created to help as they grow up.
Records obtained by the Mercury News indicated that the plane was owned by a nutritional supplement company based in Arizona.
A spokesperson for the company told the outlet that the plane had been sold two years ago to 'a private group of individuals.'
'We personally knew several of the passengers onboard and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community,' a statement from Optimal Health said, the outlet reported.
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Ciaran McEvoy, a US attorney's office spokesperson, pointed to an post from Essayli defending the 'great work being done by our amazing federal prosecutors'. His office has filed more than 50 criminal complaints since early June against people accused of assaulting or interfering with immigration officers, and nine of those people have since been indicted by grand juries, Essayli wrote. McEvoy declined to provide a full list of the cases. Essayli's post added: 'When there are reactive arrests, like we had during the riots, it's not uncommon for a complaint to be dismissed so that law enforcement can conduct additional investigation and collect more evidence.' The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, defended Essayli in a statement, calling him a 'friend' and 'champion for law and order who has done superlative work to prosecute rioters' in LA. 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