A small twin-engine plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Point Pinos near Pacific Grove around 10:55 p.m. Saturday. All three people on board died. Recovery was completed Sunday morning as authorities launched an investigation into the cause.
As the Chronicle reports, a private twin-engine Beechcraft 95-B55 Baron went down about 200 to 300 yards offshore near Point Pinos, Pacific Grove, late Saturday night. Flight tracking shows the plane left San Carlos Airport shortly after 10 p.m., heading to Monterey Regional Airport.
As Monterey’s KSBW reports, emergency crews were alerted after radar contact was lost and neighbors reported hearing the plane’s engine revving, followed by a splash in the ocean. The crash site was near Sunset Drive and Jewell Avenue, close to the historic Point Pinos Lighthouse.
Resident Ron Beach told KGO he heard the plane circling really low. "Last thing we heard was a thump. We threw everything on and ran out of the house,” he said. “There were 30 people on the beach who heard the same thing."
A Coast Guard boat arrived about 15 minutes after the crash alert, and multiple agencies quickly launched a coordinated search and rescue operation. Two passengers were found unresponsive initially, with search efforts ongoing for the third victim. By Sunday morning, crews recovered all three bodies, believed to be everyone on board.
As KRON4 reports, the victims were identified as Salinas resident Steve Eugene Clatterbuck, 60, and Monterey residents, James Vincent, 36, and Jamie Lee Tabscott, 44.
Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane was registered to a Delaware-based company. It had recently completed a flight from Monterey to San Carlos on July 18 and was scheduled to continue on to Gooding, Idaho, Sunday morning.
KGO spoke to local pilots about the challenges of flying along the Central Coast. "On a day like this, when it's sunny, it's beautiful. It's clear here but Monterey might be overcast, so you need to make sure you're proficient and current," said pilot Andreas Schobel.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate what caused the crash.
Image: Asilomar State Beach, Pacific Grove; Google Maps
