Two individuals lost their lives in a tragic accident when a small aircraft bound for Hawaii crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after taking off from Northern California. The Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter passenger plane went down approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California, around 2:15 p.m. on Saturday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the pilot and co-pilot sustained fatal injuries, as reported by the US Coast Guard. There were no other passengers on board the aircraft.
The turboprop plane was en route from Santa Rosa, located in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, to Honolulu, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Efforts are currently underway to recover the submerged aircraft, and both the NTSB and FAA will conduct investigations into the incident.
Half Moon Bay, a coastal community situated about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of San Francisco, has been the site of this tragic accident.