Tragic crash of a twin-engine Cessna 414 near Point Loma, a peninsula in San Diego, on Sunday afternoon claimed the lives of all six people on board.
According to NBCSanDiego, the small jet set off from San Diego International Airport and was headed towards Phoenix, Arizona.
The plane never made it to its final destination and a chilling cockpit audio revealed that the engine’s pilot made an emergency call to air traffic control shortly after takeoff.
According to the audio message obtained by CBS 8, the jet wasn’t gaining the needed altitude and the pilot was told he was clear to land on North Island Navy Station.
The pilot, who was identified as Landon Baldwin, made two attempts to redirect the aircraft to the US naval airport,but two minutes later, he was heard saying, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!”
When the plane was at 1,000 feet above the water, the controller urged the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet, KTAR reports.
“Climb immediately,” they could be heard telling Baldwin before establishing the contact has been lost.
The US Coast Guard launched an extensive search and rescue operation at the place where the debris was located about five miles offshore.
The identities of those on board have not yet been released, but it is believed that one of the passengers was Baldwin’s wife, Tori Baldwin. Allegedly, the rest of the passengers are a father and his three adult sons from Arizona.
The Cessna 414 aircraft was owned by the company Optimal Health Services until 2023 when they sold it to a private owner.
Doug Grant, the founder of the company, expressed his condolences.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the accident near San Diego on June 8th, 2025, regarding a Cessna 414 aircraft, tail number N414BA.
“We personally know several of the passengers onboard, and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community.”
A witness of the crash told NBC 7 that the jet descended and then climbed briefly before plunging into the water.
“I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn’t flying straight to the ground,” Tyson Wislofsky told the outlet. “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 San Diego plane crash is under investigation.
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