Recovery team finds airplane that crashed near Goleta

GOLETA, Calif. -- Search teams found and towed ashore the single-engine airplane that crashed shortly after take-off leaving Santa Barbara Airport.

Santa Barbara Sheriff deputies say 61-year-old Deborah Nicholson, from the Lake Tahoe area, was the pilot. She took off Sunday morning from Santa Barbara Airport. Shortly after takeoff, she crashed into the Pacific Ocean two and a half miles from the airport.

Thursday the search team found her plane with her inside. The five-day search included Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties sheriff deputies, Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the National Park Service.

Raquel Zick, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said the Los Angeles County Sheriff dive team. They were needed because of the depth of where the airplane was found. She said the plane was 180 to 200 feet deep.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Nicholson's family said she had been flying for over 15 years and was a very smart and experienced pilot. The crash shocked her family.