(Story updated at 10:32pm)

By Arturo Castañares
Editor-at-Large

A small twin-engine airplane carrying six people crashed landed in the ocean off Pt. Loma on Sunday afternoon just after taking off from San Diego International Airport on the way to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport  

The 1970 Cessna 414 airplane, registered as N414BA, departed at 12:24pm and turned south along the coast before ditching into the ocean just minutes after takeoff. 

Radar tracking information shows the airplane made two 360° circles before turning southwest toward to ocean and crashing into the water.

The weather at the time of the accident was cloudy with ceilings only 1,500 feet above sea level.

Based on the weather conditions, it is possible the pilot or pilots became disoriented in the clouds before losing control.

An eyewitness who was surfing in the area says he saw the airplane descend from the clouds at high speed before striking the water at “full throttle.”

A US Coast Guard helicopter and two boats responded to the incident within minutes of it being reported. There are no reports on the condition of the six people on board. 

The airplane is owned by Optimal Health Systems in Pima, Arizona, which markets health supplements. It is unknown if anyone from the company was on board the airplane. 

It is still unknown if the airplane experienced mechanical issues before landing in the water.

A twin-engine airplane can fly with only one engine, but it becomes dangerous if proper procedures are not followed, especially during the takeoff phase of a flight. 

Private and charter airplanes are not required to provide emergency life vests unless the flight is over 50 nautical miles from land. It is unknown yet if the passengers had access to life vests. 

This is the second crash of a twin engine airplane in San Diego in the past two weeks.

A Cessna Citation jet crashed in Serra Mesa early in the morning hours of May 22 less than three miles before landing at Montgomery Field airport in Kearney Mesa.

The twin-engine jet carrying six people was flying too low in heavy fog and struck a power line before crashing into a residential area, killing everyone on board. 
 

Castañares is the Publisher and Editor-at-Large of La Prensa San Diego. He has received several journalism awards, including the Ruben Salazar Award for Excellence in Print Journalism, the San Diego County Taxpayers' Association Media Watchdog award, and several First Place awards from the San Diego Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Castañares is also an FAA-licensed private airplane pilot. He can be reached directly at art@laprensasd.com.