Frantic search efforts are underway after a private plane crashed into the ocean in California, leaving at least one victim dead and two others missing.
The Beech 95-B55 Baron carrying three passengers plummeted into the water in Pacific Grove around 10:40pm on Saturday, according to emergency officials.
Flight N8796R had departed from San Carlos Airport at 10:07pm and was headed for Monterey Regional Airport, according to Flight Radar.
The two-engine aircraft apparently ran into trouble shortly after take off, as first responders were contacted almost immediately after receiving a lost radar alert.
Horrified residents of the quiet coastal neighborhood also made several 911 calls after hearing the plane’s engine revving and a massive splash in the water near Asilomar.
Footage obtained by KSBW from Saturday night shows flares shooting into the air from the near the plane wreck to aid search crews.
Officials estimate the plane is likely 200 to 300 meters off the ocean’s shore.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Pacific Grove Police, the Coast Guard and CAL FIRE are all involved in the multi-agency search.
Frantic search efforts are underway after a private plane crash in California has left all three passengers missing (pictured: flares shooting from the airplane over the ocean)
The Beech 95-B55 Baron (stock image) plummeted into the ocean in Pacific Grove around 10:40pm on Saturday, according to emergency officials
Search crews (pictured) scoured the area Sunday morning in hopes of finding debris and the missing passengers
A spokesperson for the US Coast Guard Southwest District told the Daily Mail several life boats and a helicopter were deployed within minutes of the crash.
The first victims was recovered on Sunday morning, KION reported from the scene.
While the other two passengers have not yet been found yet, debris from the horror crash has washed up on rocks and on the shore.
These remnants include luggage, seat cushions and other pieces of the aircraft, a CAL FIRE spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
When he spoke with the Daily Mail on Sunday morning, the representative said search crews were deployed and officials hope the daylight makes it easier to locate the rest of the aircraft and any ‘victims or survivors.’
The identities of those onboard have not been publicly released.
The National Transportation Board will collect the debris to determine what caused the accident.
As search efforts are underway, Sunset Drive between Jewell Avenue and Pico Avenue, near where the plane went down, is closed.
The Daily Mail has reached out to all involved agencies for more information about the incident and an investigation is ongoing.
As the search persists, witnesses have shared their chilling recounts of the moment the plane went down.
‘I heard the plane flying low over my house last night, and then heard a loud pop,’ one woman wrote on Facebook.
