Six people died when a twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately three miles west of Point Loma on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 12:30 p.m., shortly after departing from San Diego International Airport. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search efforts on Tuesday, June 10, at 10 a.m. after combing over 300 square miles for more than 35 hours.
The aircraft, registered as N414BA and bound for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, crashed under unknown circumstances just six minutes after takeoff at 12:24 p.m. Flight tracking data from FlightAware showed the plane making two loops over the coastline near Point Loma before going down. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Monday morning that the pilot and five passengers were killed in the crash, which destroyed the aircraft.
Among the victims were pilot Landon Baldwin and his wife Torrie Baldwin, both in their twenties from Pima, Arizona, who left behind two young children under five years old. Also aboard were Jeremy Bingham and his three adult sons: Ayden, Bailey and Gavin, all from the Gila Valley area of Arizona. Bailey Bingham had recently become a father to a nine-month-old son named Carter and was looking forward to celebrating his first Father’s Day.
Audio recordings from LiveATC.net captured the final moments before the crash, revealing the pilot’s struggle with the aircraft. Air traffic controllers instructed Baldwin to gain altitude quickly after learning the plane was flying at only 1,000 feet, directing him to climb to 4,000 feet. When asked about the problem, the pilot responded that he was struggling to maintain heading and climb. Controllers then directed him to land at Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island, but Baldwin reported he was unable to see the airport.
In his final transmission, Baldwin repeatedly called out “Mayday, mayday, mayday” before controllers lost radar contact with the aircraft. The distress call came just seconds before the plane crashed into the ocean.
Surfer Tyson Wislofsky witnessed the crash while in the water near Point Loma on Sunday afternoon. He observed the plane come down at an angle, climb back into the clouds, then dive straight into the water at high speed. The witness noted that after seeing the splash, there was complete silence about six seconds later, indicating the aircraft had gone nose-first into the ocean.
The plane was previously registered to Optimal Health Systems, a nutritional supplement company based in Pima, Arizona. However, company founder Doug Grant clarified that the aircraft had been sold to a group of private individuals in June 2023, though FAA registration records had not been updated. Grant indicated that the company personally knew several passengers aboard the aircraft.
Multiple agencies participated in the extensive search operation, including Coast Guard air crews from Ventura and Sacramento, the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter, Coast Guard Station San Diego crews, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, San Diego Harbor Police and San Diego Lifeguards. Harbor Police used sonar equipment to help pinpoint the crash area, while lifeguards located an oil sheen and debris on the water surface.
The debris field was found in water approximately 200 feet deep, about five miles off the Point Loma coast. All recovered debris was turned over to Coast Guard officials for investigation. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft had traveled from Safford Regional Airport in Graham County, Arizona, to Phoenix, then to San Diego on June 7, the day before the fatal crash.
Community members in Arizona have established a GoFundMe campaign to support the Bingham family survivors. Bailey Bingham worked at Carter’s Custom Cuts, a butcher shop in Thatcher, Arizona, while his brothers had attended Thatcher High School, where Ayden played football, Bailey played soccer and Gavin competed in track and field. Ayden had recently proposed to his fiancé Camille and was planning to marry soon.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash alongside the FAA. This incident occurred approximately two and a half weeks after another Cessna crash in a San Diego residential neighborhood that killed six people and damaged several homes. Coast Guard officials noted that the decision to suspend search operations is never made easily, expressing condolences to the families affected by the tragedy.
