Santa Barbara Sheriff’s confirms identity of plane crash victim

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office officially confirms the identity of the pilot that was killed in a plane crash off of Campus Point in Isla Vista on Sunday.

After a week of wreckage recovery, the Sheriff's Department has lifted the crashed plane from the ocean floor along with the deceased body of the pilot who was the solo passenger on the plane.

The coroner's bureau used ANDE Rapid DNA to confirm the identity of the deceased pilot as Deborah Nicholson, 61, from the Lake Tahoe area.

The incident happened on Sunday early morning when the Sheriff's Office received reports from witnesses saying they saw a plane crash into the ocean.

Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office, the Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol responded to the scene.

Later that morning, officials were able to identify debris that was involved in the crash and a further investigation ensued.

On Monday, a collaborative recovery effort began involving the Sheriff's Office Dive Team along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Port Police, U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, Santa Barbara County Fire, and AMR.

The Sheriff's Office says the Los Angeles Port Police played a critical role in locating the plane 180 feet below the surface with the use of their side-scan sonar and remotely operated underwater vehicle.

When the plane wreckage was brought to the surface, it was then transported to Goleta pier by the National Park Service Ocean Ranger.

The Sheriff's Office says the coroner’s investigation is expected to be finalized in approximately six weeks.