Pilot Killed After Plane Crashes into Hillside of La Jolla Condo Complex

One person was killed when their Cessna 210N crashed Wednesday night, according to officials.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) received a report of an aircraft down near Downwind Way and Expedition Way around 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, prompting an extensive search around the area of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The U.S. Coast Guard, San Diego Fire Department, San Diego Lifeguards, and San Diego Police Department (SDPD) assisted in the search with air, ground, and marine assets.

Early Thursday morning, SDPD received a call from someone who saw news reports about the search for the plane and had earlier witnessed lights in the fog followed by a loud noise, SDPD Sergeant Tracey Williams told The Triton. At approximately 2:10 a.m., officers located the plane on a hillside west of Caminito Viva and Caminito Claro in the La Jolla Shores Heights condominium complex. The pilot was pronounced deceased.

The pilot took off from Buchanan Field Airport near Concord, California at 5:33 p.m., according to FlightAware. At around 8:40 p.m., the pilot made a figure eight pattern over Temecula before continuing south toward Rancho San Diego. The pilot turned northwest at 9:10 p.m. and made two small circles over University City. SDPD officers reported seeing the plane flying at a low altitude over the Northern Division station located at 4275 Eastgate Mall in University City, Williams told The Triton. The plane crashed about three miles west of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at 9:37 p.m., according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

No other occupants were onboard the plane, according to the NTSB. An NTSB investigator arrived on site today and a preliminary report will be available within 30 days.

Liam Winstead is the Managing Editor for The Triton.