Plane crash off California coast kills 3

Three people aboard a small airplane were killed over the weekend when the aircraft crashed in the Pacific Ocean off the central California coast, authorities said.

Emergency crews responded just before 11 p.m. Saturday to reports of a twin-engine Beechcraft carrying three people that went down about 300 yards off Point Pinos in Monterey County, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Unit identified the occupants as Steve Eugene Clatterbuck, 60, of Salinas, James Vincent, 36, of Monterey, and Jamie Lee Tabscott, 44, of Monterey.

The Beechcraft B-95-B55 aircraft had taken off from the San Carlos airport at 10:11 p.m. and was last seen at 10:36 p.m. near Monterey, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware.com.

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A witness told AIO Filmz that he heard the plane circling at a low altitude for about 30 seconds before hearing a “thump.” Video footage from the scene shows debris from the aircraft scattered along the shoreline.

Coast Guard boat and helicopter crews, local law enforcement and fire agencies launched a search for the victims. The operation lasted for a combined 13 hours, covering 346 miles of trackline over an area of approximately 100 square miles, USCG said.

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A fire boat crew recovered the first body just after 3 a.m. Sunday. Divers found the two other victims inside the fuselage of the aircraft between 6:30 a.m. and 9:10 a.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the victims’ families have asked for privacy during this time.

“The family and friends of the deceased have expressed that they wish to extend their gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community,” the sheriff’s office said.