On January 14, 2024, a Cozy Mark IV, a single-engine light electric plane built from a kit, plummeted into the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay, California.
Investigators at the crash site near Moss Beach found the aircraft submerged and upside down in the ocean.
Witnesses at the Moss Beach Distillery first reported the incident around 7:15 p.m., noting that the aircraft’s flight pattern was irregular before it fell into the ocean, causing alarm amongst onlookers.
One witness, Melissa Richter, who was visiting from Maine and dining at the distillery patio, likened the plane’s engine power loss to the sound in a movie when a plane is about to crash.
The next afternoon, a commercial fishing boat found a woman’s body in the water close to the crash site. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office later identified her as 27-year-old Emma Willmer-Shiles from San Francisco.
Four passengers were on the plane at the time of the crash. Among them were the pilot, Lochie Ferrier from Oakland, California, Feerier’s fiancée Cassidy Petit, Willmer-Shiles from San Francisco, and an unidentified person. Ferrier, originally from Australia, and Petit had gotten engaged only four months ago.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard initially started the search for survivors, which was halted Monday mid-morning after nearly six hours spanning a 28-square-mile area.
The recovery operations faced difficulties due to tide and weather conditions, and parts of the wreckage, including what is thought to be the fuselage, remain unrecovered.
An in-depth investigation into the crash has begun by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other agencies. The probe will focus on potential mechanical failure, structural issues, and weather conditions.
Interestingly, the plane took off from an East Bay airport, stopped briefly at Half Moon Bay Airport, and then resumed its journey before the unfortunate crash.
The plane was registered to Winged Wallabies Inc. in Oakland, California, and had performed multiple flights over the Bay Area.
