On January 14, 2024, a catastrophic event unfolded near Half Moon Bay, California, when a Cozy Mark IV, a kit-assembled single-engine light aircraft, crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
The downed plane was discovered submerged and inverted in the ocean close to Moss Beach. The initial report of the mishap came in around 7:15 p.m. Witnesses near the Moss Beach Distillery spotted the plane’s erratic movement before it made its fatal descent into the sea.
Melissa Richter, a tourist from Maine, was having dinner on the distillery’s patio when she saw the crash. She likened the sound of the plane’s failing engine to those heard in movie scenes depicting imminent plane crashes.
The next afternoon, a commercial fishing boat discovered a woman’s body near the crash site. The deceased was later identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office as Emma Willmer-Shiles, a 27-year-old San Francisco resident.
Four individuals were onboard during the crash, including the pilot, Lochie Ferrier, an Australian native residing in Oakland, California, Ferrier’s fiancée of four months Cassidy Petit, Willmer-Shiles from San Francisco, and a fourth person yet to be identified.
The search for survivors, initially led by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard, was called off on Monday morning after a nearly six-hour search spanned a 28-square-mile area.
Recovery of the wreckage, including the suspected fuselage, has been hampered due to the challenging tide and weather conditions.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in collaboration with other agencies has embarked on a thorough investigation of the crash, examining potential factors such as mechanical failure, structural issues, and weather conditions.
Before the devastating crash, the plane had departed from an airport in East Bay, with a brief layover at Half Moon Bay Airport.
The plane, registered to Winged Wallabies Inc. in Oakland, California, had flown multiple trips over the Bay Area.
Pilot Ferrier was well-regarded in the experimental aircraft enthusiasts’ community. His skills and extensive knowledge as a pilot were widely recognized.