Divers begin recovery effort for plane that went down in water near Isla Vista
ISLA VISTA, Calif. - Recovery efforts are underway to retrieve the body of a pilot whose plane crashed in the ocean off the shore of Isla Vista on Sunday.
The plane was reported going down near Goleta Beach Park Sunday morning. The Cessna 182 single-engine plane began losing altitude rapidly after taking off from the Santa Barbara Airport.
Coast Guard crews assisted Santa Barbara County fire and sheriff's departments with the search about two miles off Campus Point.
On Thursday, dive crews from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office began the long process of recovering the body of the pilot who was believed to be killed in the crash. The pilot was identified by the sheriff's office as 61-year-old Deborah Nicholson from the Lake Tahoe area.
Divers are in the water off campus point today as we begin recovery efforts for the pilot and plane that went down Sunday. Assisting agencies include @SEBLASD @USCG National Parks, @SBCFireInfo and @AMRSB pic.twitter.com/ryDTVLe69m
— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) October 1, 2020
Crews are also working to recover the plane and any important equipment that could shed a light on what led to the plane crashing.
This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
