Crews Searching for 3 Missing People After Small Plane Crash in California
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A large-scale search is underway for three missing people off the coast of Northern California after a small plane crashed late Saturday, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Petty Officer Ryan Graves told Newsweek by phone Sunday.
Multiple agencies continue to search the waters off Pacific Grove, near Monterey on Sunday for the aircraft, which is a private Beechcraft twin engine, according to Graves.
While the crews "have located some of the debris, the search is still ongoing," Graves told Newsweek.
The identities and ages of the people on board were not immediately known.
"The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a Beechcraft BE55 off the coast of Pacific Grove, California on July 26," Steve Kulm, public affairs specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), told Newsweek in an email Sunday.
A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told Newsweek in an email on Sunday morning that they had "no information to report from NTSB at this time."
Why It Matters
This crash is the latest in a series of aircraft issues and crashes that have sparked national and international interest, many of them ending in fatalities and ongoing investigations.
The ALNOT alert issued by the FAA is to alert public safety agencies, pilots and airports to begin looking for missing aircraft.
The incident draws attention to ongoing safety concerns associated with private aircraft operations along California's coastline, as well as the resources and coordination required for air-sea rescue missions.
What To Know
The plane took off from the San Carlos Airport just before 11 p.m. with the crash being reported around 10:55 p.m. local time, Graves said.
Graves told Newsweek the USCG launched a 47-foot lifeboat from Monterey and was on scene 15 minutes after they first received notification. A helicopter was also launched by the San Francisco Coast Guard as part of the response.
Multiple agencies responded including, the Pacific Grove Police Department, Monterey Fire and Cal Fire, which sent three boats to the scene.
The debris field is about 200-300 yards from Point Pinos, according to Graves.
Many searchers have remained on scene since 11 p.m. local time Saturday and have continued into the morning hours.
The San Carlos Airport is about 10 miles north of Palo Alto, and about 100 miles northeast of Monterey. Pacific Grove, meanwhile, sits just north of the famed Pebble Beach golf course.
Views from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California on September 25, 2012.
Views from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California on September 25, 2012.
Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Steve Kulm, public affairs specialist for the FAA, told Newsweek in an email Sunday: "The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a Beechcraft BE55 off the coast of Pacific Grove, California on July 26. Three people were on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB is the lead investigating agency and will provide any updates."
What Happens Next?
The search and rescue operation off Monterey is ongoing. Officials are expected to provide updates as the search continues, potentially involving additional resources or shifting focus based on emerging evidence.
Agencies such as the NTSB typically conduct thorough inquiries into the causes of such aircraft accidents.
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