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A small aircraft crashed off the coast of San Diego, resulting in the deaths of six people, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The tragic incident occurred on Sunday (June 8), as the plane was traveling over the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot can be heard telling air traffic controllers he was "struggling right now to maintain heading."
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” the pilot of the Cessna 414 can be heard yelling on the air traffic control audio recording, according to CNN.
Tyson Wislofsky told KNSD that he saw the plane and thought the pilot was doing stunts over the water.
"I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn't flying straight to the ground," he told the news station. "The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed.”
The FAA has not yet released the identities of the victims or the cause of the crash. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene to search for survivors, but unfortunately, all six individuals on board were confirmed deceased.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the crash, working alongside the FAA to determine the cause of the accident.
Further details about the flight, including its origin and intended destination, have not been disclosed. As the investigation continues, authorities are urging anyone with information about the crash to come forward.