A small plane which took off from the East Bay crashed in Half Moon Bay sometime after 7 p.m. Sunday night, and as of late Monday morning, the Coast Guard suspended their search for survivors, without having found the pilot or any of the passengers.
Update, 12:45 p.m.: KGO reports that around 11 a.m. Monday morning, the Coast Guard suspended their search for survivors, after crews had searched nearly 30 square miles by boat, helicopter, and drone. "It's never easy to make the decision to suspend search efforts, and our deepest sympathies go out to the families involved in this incident," Coast Guard operations unit controller Ian McGoohan told KGO. "We are truly grateful for the efforts of our partners assisting in search efforts.
Original story: An all-night search continues as of Monday morning, after a small plane crashed in Half Moon Bay Sunday night, per KTVU and other outlets. The pilot and an unknown number of passengers have still not been found, though the below tweet from KTVU shows where the plane’s believed wreckage was located, and KRON4 identifies the location as being “a few miles away from the Half Moon Bay Airport.”
Plane that crashed near Half Moon Bay originated out of East Bay https://t.co/VeTGNJUsD0
— KTVU (@KTVU) January 15, 2024
According to Bay Area News Group, observers on the ground notified authorities at about 7:13 p.m. Sunday night they saw a plane flying “erratically” in the area near Half Moon Bay Airport and Moss Beach Distillery, and could hear the engine “sputter out.” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office sergeant Phillip Hallworth told the news group that those eyewitnesses “observed the plane until they could no longer see it and that’s when they called 911.”
The Coast Guard joined in the search and put divers in the water, but have not yet located the pilot or any of the passengers. Though a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office drone located the “what was thought” to be the plane’s wreckage, in the words of the News Group.
UPDATE: Authorities are searching for survivors after a plane crash in Half Moon Bay Sunday night. https://t.co/jZ0gWI1Kd1
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) January 15, 2024
Authorities still don’t know how many people were on the plane, but it was small and likely had few passengers. The Sheriff’s Office has also not disclosed from where the flight originated, noting only that it took off from the East Bay.
I’m in Half Moon Bay where crews appear to be continuing their search for a small plane which crashed into the ocean around 7pm last night. Sheriff’s office crews have their drone on standby, a Coast Guard helicopter is flying the area and search crews are heading in. pic.twitter.com/ToMnsXoqPi
— Lena Howland (@LenaHowland) January 15, 2024
The search continues as of Monday morning. "Possible wreckage was found overnight and as the morning light has come up, crews are working to investigate and search for answers," San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office representative Heather Enders told SFGate. "We are still working with coast side fire, CHP, and the Coast Guard to determine what happened."
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office says a plane that took off from the East Bay and crashed near Ross Cove in Half Moon Bay has been found upside down in the water. https://t.co/egnTC7rd2K
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) January 15, 2024
According to KRON4, as of Monday at 5 a.m., “around 30 personnel” were still involved with search and rescue operations.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Related: Small Hawaii-Bound Plane Crashes Into Pacific Ocean Off Half Moon Bay, Killing 2 Onboard [SFist]
Image: Half Moon Bay California - stock photo (Getty Images)