California plane crash: Three dead after plane crash sparks multi-agency search

Three people have sadly died after a small plane crashedoff the California coast of Monterey County.

The tragic incident happened late Saturday night at around 10.55pm when watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Monterey were informed of the crash. The twin-engine Beechcraft, which originally took off from San Carlos airport and had three people on board, crashed approximately 200-300 yards off of Point Pinos.

A USCG 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 were among the multi-agency rescue effort.

READ MORE: Public warning after two people cut off by waves in daring Cornwall cliff rescue

Flares flying into the air from the area around the plane disaster were seen on Saturday night in footage that KSBW was able to obtain to help search crews. The crash's debris has washed up on the shore and on rocks. An oxygen tank and pieces of metal that ended up down the coast were captured on camera during the incident.

Witnesses have given their terrifying accounts of the moment the plane went down as the search continues. "I heard the plane flying low over my house last night, and then heard a loud pop," one woman wrote on Facebook.

"Woke me up, sounded like a plane doing air show stunts over my roof then heard it hit," another chimed in.

The official statement from the United States Coast Guardreads: "At 10:55 p.m. Saturday evening, watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Monterey received a relay from Monterey County detailing that a twin-engine Beechcraft, tail number N8796R, with three people on board had crashed approximately 200-300 yards off of Point Pinos.

"Station Monterey launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew, which arrived on scene approximately 15 minutes after notification. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco also coordinated the launch of an Air Station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin helicopter air crew for the initial aerial searches. An Air Station Ventura MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was also launched to conduct a search at first light.

"At 3:01 a.m. Sunday morning, the Monterey Fire Boat 12 crew located the first person on scene, unresponsive. At 5:56 a.m. a CAL Fire drone located the Beechcraft fuselage. The Monterey Fire Boat 12 crew then worked in conjunction with a commercial dive team to locate and recover the remaining two people inside the aircraft between 6:31 a.m. and 9:08 a.m., both found unresponsive."

The identity of the people on board have not been made public. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.