PACIFIC GROVE — A multi-agency search led to the recovery of three bodies who were onboard a small aircraft that crashed about 200 to 300 yards off Point Pinos, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
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The three victims were identified as Steve Eugene Clatterbuck, age 60, of Salinas; James Vincent, 36 and Jamie Lee Tabscott, 44, both of Monterey.
The twin engine plane departed the San Carlos Airport in the Bay Area just after 10 p.m. Saturday night, heading to Monterey Regional Airport, according to Flightradar24, a site that compiles public information about aircraft locations and flight paths. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Pacific Grove Police, the Coast Guard and CAL FIRE were alerted to the incident after receiving a lost radar alert and 911 calls from witnesses nearby.
Flight N8796R, a twin-engine Beechcraft, crashed into the ocean near Sunset Drive and Jewell Avenue around 10:38 p.m,. The Coast Guard Station Monterey launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew which arrived on scene approximately 15 minutes after notification, according to a news release.
The Coast Guard did a full search with divers, and recovered three bodies, according to Lt. Kyle Fagan. The search concluded at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.