Crime & Safety

Plane Found Wrecked Near Half Moon Bay Registered to Florida Man

The coroner's office said today that it could not yet confirm the pilot's identity. The pilot's wife reported the aircraft missing on Monday when it did not show up on schedule at an airport near Tuscon, AZ, its intended destination.

A single-engine plane that was found wrecked on a coastal bluff Tuesday after it departed from Half Moon Bay on Monday morning was registered to a Florida man, authorities said.

The single-engine Aeropro CZ A240 crashed near Seal Cove shortly after departing from the Half Moon Bay Airport for Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, AZ, around 5:50 a.m. Monday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane is registered to Andrew Hayden, of Punta Gorda, Fla.

Find out what's happening in Belmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A San Mateo County coroner's office employee said today she could not yet confirm the pilot's identity.

The pilot's wife said he intended to make a fuel stop in Apple Valley, Calif., and she reported the aircraft missing when it did not show up on schedule at Marana, according to Gregor.

Find out what's happening in Belmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After a search effort led by the U.S. Coast Guard and aided by the Civil Air Patrol and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, a ground-based search crew found the wreckage around noon Tuesday, about 400 yards west of the Half Moon Bay airport, Gregor said.

FAA investigators were at the scene Tuesday, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to arrive today.

It typically takes the NTSB several months to determine a cause for these types of accidents, Gregor said.

San Mateo County sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Rosenblatt said the pilot's name is expected to be released Thursday, after authorities contact his family in Florida.

Rosenblatt said the pilot was alone in the plane.

—Bay City News




Don’t be left out of the conversation taking place in Belmont--Sign up for our daily newsletter|Like Belmont|Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Start your own blog

Don’t be left out of the conversation taking place in San Carlos--Sign up for our daily newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter| Start a blog


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.