Three people were killed when a small twin-engine plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monterey County, California, late Saturday night. The aircraft, a Beechcraft B-95-B55, went down around 11 p.m. roughly 300 yards off Point Pinos, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The victims have been identified as Steve Eugene Clatterbuck, 60, of Salinas, James Vincent, 36, of Monterey, and Jamie Lee Tabscott, 44, also of Monterey. Officials said the plane had taken off from San Carlos Airport at 10:11 p.m. and disappeared from radar at 10:36 p.m., based on data from FlightAware.com.
A witness reported hearing the aircraft flying low for about 30 seconds before a loud “thump” was heard. Video taken from the shoreline shows pieces of wreckage scattered along the coast.
The Coast Guard, alongside local police and fire services, launched a search and recovery mission that lasted 13 hours. Crews covered 346 miles of trackline across 100 square miles. The body of one victim was found by a fireboat team at 3 a.m. on Sunday, while divers recovered the other two from the submerged fuselage between 6:30 a.m. and 9:10 a.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, the families of the victims have requested privacy and expressed deep appreciation for the community’s support during this difficult time.
