SAN DIEGO- A tragic small aircraft crash off the San Diego coast has left six people dead, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft, a twin-engine Cessna 414, went down near Point Loma after departing from San Diego (SAN).
The plane was returning to Phoenix, Arizona (PHX), one day after flying out from the state. Operated privately and not affiliated with a commercial airline, the aircraft’s last recorded altitude was just 1,000 feet before controllers lost contact.
Representative Photo: By aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32535090Six Killed in Plane Crash
The Cessna 414, a light twin-engine aircraft, crashed at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. FAA officials confirmed that all six individuals on board perished in the incident.
The U.S. Coast Guard later discovered a debris field roughly 3 miles off the coast of Point Loma, where the water depth is around 200 feet (61 meters).
Audio from LiveATC.net revealed the pilot was experiencing difficulty maintaining heading and altitude. Air traffic controllers advised the pilot to ascend to 4,000 feet, but the aircraft remained around 1,000 feet.
The pilot was then instructed to divert to the U.S. Naval Air Station North Island (NZY) on Coronado Island, but reported poor visibility and could not locate the runway.
Moments before the crash, the pilot issued several “Mayday” distress calls before radar contact was lost. Eyewitness Tyson Wislofsky, who was surfing nearby, reported seeing the aircraft descend sharply into the ocean after briefly re-emerging from the clouds.
Although FAA records list Optimal Health Systems, based in Pima, Arizona, as the aircraft’s registered owner, the company stated it sold the plane to private buyers in 2023.
Founder Doug Grant said several passengers were known personally to the company and offered condolences to the families affected.
The FAA redirected questions about the plane’s ownership to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has yet to release additional details on the investigation or identify the victims.
Representative Photo: By Adrian Pingstone – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2971403Recent Aviation Tragedies in San Diego
This crash follows another recent Cessna accident in San Diego, in which six people died after a crash in foggy conditions.
A private jet crashed into a residential area during approach to San Diego’s Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport in the early morning hours of May 22, 2025, killing all six people aboard and injuring eight residents on the ground.
The accident occurred under challenging weather conditions that severely limited visibility and created dangerous flying conditions.
The 1985 Cessna Citation II, registered as N666DS, struck the Murphy Canyon neighborhood at approximately 3:45 AM while attempting to land on runway 28R. The aircraft hit power lines before clipping a house and crashing into the military housing area, damaging ten homes, with one completely destroyed.
Dave Shapiro, a 42-year-old music executive who owned the aircraft through Daviation LLC, piloted the jet during the fatal approach. Daniel Williams, former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada, traveled as a passenger and had shared social media photos from the aircraft shortly before departure.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration have launched investigations into the crash. Early findings suggest that pilot fatigue and limited landing alternatives may have contributed to the accident circumstances.
The aircraft had departed Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at 11:15 PM EDT on May 21, creating a demanding overnight flight schedule. The crew stopped for 45 minutes at Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas, to refuel before continuing to San Diego, accumulating nearly eight hours of total flight time.
Dense fog with half-mile visibility and a 200-foot cloud ceiling complicated the final approach phase. These conditions significantly exceeded normal landing minimums and created hazardous flying conditions for the single-pilot operation.
ATC Recordings Reveal Final Moments
Published air traffic control recordings from VASAviation provide insight into the pilot’s final communications with controllers. Shapiro maintained a calm and professional demeanor throughout the exchange despite deteriorating weather conditions.
The pilot requested updated weather information, stating, “I want to see what I’m in for here.” After receiving the forecast, he responded, “Alright, doesn’t sound great, but we’ll give it a go,” indicating his decision to attempt the challenging approach.
As conditions worsened, Shapiro inquired about alternative airports but discovered that nearby facilities offered no significant improvement in weather conditions. His final communication revealed the pressure of the situation: “We’ll hopefully not see you… But we might have to.”
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