Investigation Continues After Small Plane Goes Missing Off San Diego Coast

SAN DIEGO, CA — An investigation was underway Thursday after a small plane crashed over the weekend off the coast of San Diego.

The single-engine Cessna TTX took off Sunday afternoon from Ramona Airport and was presumed to have been destroyed after an impact with the Pacific Ocean about 470 miles off the coast of San Diego, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

The pilot checked in around 1:55 p.m. Sunday with Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport for landing, the Aviation Safety Network reported. About five minutes later, the pilot was cleared to land but did not respond. The plane continued flying west at an altitude of 2,600 feet and went beyond the track.

"He was on a good heading to intercept the final approach for Montgomery, but then never turned on the final," Rich Martindell, pilot and former aircraft accident investigator, told 10News. "It was just after he turned southwest that the long straight line begins. It looks very indicative of a loss of consciousness or incapacitation."

The plane was owned by Peter Schultz, a chemist and CEO of the Scripps Research Institute.

The identity of the pilot has not yet been released, but according to a statement from the Scripps Research Institute, he was a friend of Schultz and believed to be the solo occupant of the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.