Six people are feared dead after a small seven-seater plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
The 1970 Cessna 414 was reported to have gone down about three miles west of Point Point Loma in San Diego about 12.45pm on Sunday.
The plane was headed for Phoenix and crashed soon after takeoff from San Diego Airport.
Coast Guard recovery crews found a debris field and oil slick and are searching the area in a Jayhawk helicopter, plane, cutter, and two small boats.
San Diego lifeguards and Border Patrol were assisting on Sunday night.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Coast Guard recovery crews found the debris field and are searching for bodies in a Jayhawk helicopter (file photo pictured)
‘I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn’t flying straight to the ground,’ witness Tyson Wislofsky told NBC 7.
‘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.’
Optimal Health Systems, a vitamin and supplements company in Pima, Arizona, owns the plane. It is unknown if any of its staff were on board.
Douglas Grant founded the company with his wife Hilary Kit.
A cutter and two small boats are also being used in the search
