PACIFIC GROVE, Calif., July 27, 2025 — Three people are dead following a small plane crash off the Monterey County coast late Saturday.
A multi-agency rescue effort, led by the U.S. Coast Guard, scoured the waters into Sunday. The operation included a Coast Guard helicopter, three Cal Fire rescue boats, and personnel from the Pacific Grove Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and Monterey Fire Department. All three individuals on board the plane were later confirmed deceased.
The aircraft, identified by aviation authority records as a twin-engine Beechcraft manufactured in 1974, departed from San Carlos Airport near Redwood City at 10:11 p.m. Saturday. Flight tracking data shows it was last visible on radar at 10:37 p.m. The plane had previously completed a 23-minute trip from Monterey to San Carlos on July 18.
The flight’s final moments unfolded near Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. This location is notable as the site of a similar tragedy in October 1997, when folk singer-songwriter John Denver died in the crash of his homebuilt Rutan Long-EZ plane.
