Six Arizonans die in San Diego area plane crash
The Brief
Six Arizonans died in a San Diego area plane crash on June 8.
We're hearing from a family member of one of the victims, who was the pilot.
PHOENIX - Six people are dead after a small plane crashed off the coast of San Diego, and according to FlightAware, the plane was returning to Phoenix.
We're learning more about the victims who lived in Arizona.
What we know
Five miles off the coast of Point Loma in San Diego, around noon on Sunday, June 8, a twin-engine Cessna 414 suddenly crashed into the water, killing all six people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
"I was deeply shocked. I didn't want to believe it at first because it just didn't seem like it could happen to this couple who is so awesome that I knew," Kirsten Baldwin, a relative of pilot Landon Baldwin, said.
Kirsten spent Monday, June 9, grieving her cousin by marriage, the pilot, Landon, who made a distress call moments before the crash.
She says Landon was an avid flyer who wanted to make a career of it.
The victims
Landon and his wife Torrie, both in their 20s, were from Pima, Arizona. A Gila Valley father with his three adult sons were also aboard the plane.
The Baldwin couple leaves behind two small children under five years old.
Dig deeper
"There might have been some maintenance problems, but all I know is that they nosedived into the water, and from knowing Landon, that's not something, he wouldn't pull a prank to get close to the water, or do something adrenaline-seeking. Something was incredibly wrong for that to have happened," Kirsten said.
What went wrong abroad the plane is still being investigated by the NTSB. Data shows the pilot told air traffic controllers that the plane was having trouble gaining altitude.
The pilot issued a mayday and was unable to see a U.S. naval airport on Coronado Island where he was directed to land.
"Landon and Torrie were huge believers in Jesus Christ. They had a lot of faith about the power of seeing your loved ones again, and that families can live together forever. It's so tragic what happened, but there's a little bit of hope that they will get to see their kids again and their kids will get to see them again," Kirsten said.
What's next
The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA.
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