According to a preliminary accident report issued Tuesday, a small aircraft that crashed off Point Lomaa one month ago, killing all six persons on board, suddenly dropped hundreds of feet for no apparent reason, then rose nearly as far before crashing into the water.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board statement, 28-year-old Landon Baldwin of Pima, Arizona, piloted the twin-engine Cessna 414A. He radioed just before the June 8 disaster that he was having difficulties getting the plane to gain altitude and maintain a regulated heading.
The NTSB reports that the business plane crashed into the water approximately two miles west of Point Loma at 12:30 p.m.
A determination of the crash’s cause is not included in the report. The government agency reports that the majority of the plane’s debris and the victims’ corpses are still missing.
Baldwin’s pregnant 25-year-old wife, Torrie, Jeremy Bingham, 48, and Bingham’s sons, Ayden, 21, Bailey, 27, and Gavin, 25, were also killed in the tragedy.
The group had just taken off from San Diego International Airport on their way back to Phoenix when Landon Baldwin, who had flown them to California from Arizona on June 7, started to struggle with aircraft control.
According to the official assessment, an air-traffic controller told Baldwin to spin 180 degrees to the left just minutes before the plane passed over the San Diego coastline. After ascending to around 2,000 feet, the Cessna performed a sharp turn and then dropped sharply to about 200 feet.
The pilot received a low-altitude alert from the controller, telling him to climb to 4,000 feet right away. Baldwin repeated the directions in response.
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Baldwin responded that he was having trouble controlling the aircraft when the controller asked him if he needed help and what the issue was.
The controller responded by asking Baldwin if he could see the nearest airport, which was roughly a mile away. According to the report, Baldwin responded that he was unable to and then issued multiple mayday calls as the aircraft began a series of erratic maneuvers.
Images of the plane’s descent, ascent to around 1,800 feet, and flight into a layer of clouds, where it vanished from view, were taken by a video camera on the ground.
Shortly after, the crew of a police helicopter, which was around ten miles east of the scene of the accident, was asked to look for any indications that an aircraft had struck the water close to the location where the Cessna had disappeared. They arrived at the location and saw an oil slick in the water.
Searchers discovered the aircraft’s fragmented wreckage floating in an area with water that is roughly 200 feet deep.
The Coast Guard concluded its search for the victims’ bodies late on June 10 in order to await additional information.
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The San Diego Harbor Police Department, city lifeguards, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations also participated in the approximately 35-hour recovery operations, which covered an area of almost 300 square miles.
According to the NTSB paper, a buddy of Baldwin’s who frequently flew the Cessna informed investigators that he had flown with him for roughly fifty hours and accompanied him on four airport approaches under instrument meteorological simulations.
According to the report, he saw that Baldwin had shown some apprehension regarding the crowded airspace in Southern California, but he seemed to be competent when they reviewed the departure protocol from San Diego.
To assist with costs, including the recovery of the victims’ bodies, a fundraising drive has been established for the Bingham family. You can donate online here.
