The Coast Guard said watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego were initially informed of the crash around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. The search was suspended at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The search began Sunday afternoon after the twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed several miles off the coast of Sunset Cliffs. The pilot had reported he was “just struggling” to maintain altitude shortly after taking off from San Diego International Airport as he talked with an air traffic controller. The flight was bound for Phoenix.