From Santa Monica Close Up:
"Technicians from South West Aircraft Transportation and Recovery Inc. haul away the crashed Cessna airplane from Santa Monica Beach on Friday, December 23, 2022."
Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.
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I was there, saw the whole thing.
A couple of things to dispel and set straight. First off myself and about 100 other people ran towards the plane as we saw it going down. So the idea no one went to help is false, we all went to help.
The landing attempt was excellent, but as soon as it touched down on the sand the front wheel dug into the sand and the plane flipped over and slammed into the ground, this all happened in about 3 seconds.
As everyone was running towards the plane the lifeguard truck blew past us and was first on the scene. The lifeguards extracted the unconscious man in about four minuets and then the other man. The unconscious man was placed in the back of a lifeguard truck and transported to the boardwalk where an ambulance was waiting. As he was being transported CPR was attempted and continued for a few minuets at the ambulance but there was no luck and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
I imagine this wasn’t reported instantly as the authorities had to inform the family of the victim. As this has now been publicly reported I am posting this now.
The other man was conscious but in total shock. That had him sitting In the back of another lifeguard truck. Once they did a preliminary check of him he was transported.
Myself and all the other bystanders that were close were pushed back by the police who arrived about 2 minuets after the lifeguards.
The whole thing was crazy (surreal seeing a plane come down in front of me), amazing (the pilot landing on a spot where there were no people on a fairly crowded beach) and very sad (a man lost his life). I imagine his general age had the most to do with it. The plane slammed down extremely hard.
Radio transmission from the pilot of the airplane to Santa Monica Airport tower right before the plane crash landed on the beach.
About 6 minutes in take-off clearance (they changed from requesting special flight rules to right turn shoreline).
12:53 frequency change approved but 32X elects to “keep ears on” as they’re just going to Malibu and back.
14 minutes in, 32X calls up wanting to return. Tower clears them for right traffic 21, asks if they need assistance, 32X responds: “Not at this time.”
Tower is routing traffic around the Cessna as it’s inbound at 900, abeam the Palisades (around 15 minutes).
15:45: “Emergency.”Tower: Can you make the field?
“I’m going to try.
”Tower solicits and the Cessna states: Two souls on board, the engine is running very very rough.
Tower clears him left base for 3, gets traffic TF out of the way.
Comms with the Cessna drop off after about 16:30.Comes back, 17:20.
Tower: “Can you make runway 3?”
32X: “I don’t think so, I think I may have to put it on the beach.”
Tower: “Roger, landing on the beach will be at your own risk.”32X: “I wish I had another choice.”
Tower: “Wind 230 at 4.”
Starts coordinating with Police 29.19:45 FD, EMT, PD already on scene where the Cessna stopped, 400' south of the pier.
A former mayor of Santa Monica, California, died after a small plane crash-landed and flipped upside down on a beach in the coastal California community, authorities said.
Rex Minter was a passenger in the single-engine Cessna that took off from Santa Monica Airport about 3 p.m. Thursday en route to Malibu. The pilot was taken to a hospital.
The City of Santa Monica and current Mayor Gleam Davis separately confirmed Minter’s death.
Radio transmission between the pilot and Santa Monica Airport reveals the place had engine trouble and was unable to make it make to the runway. The pilot told the tower that his only option was take an emergency landing on the beach. To hear the radio transmission, Click Here
Witnesses said the passenger appeared to be having a heart attack when he was sent being pulled out of the plane.
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