What happened
On June 08, 2025, a Cessna 414A, registration N414BA, was involved in an accident in San Diego, California, resulting in 6 fatal injuries. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a business flight, intended to return from San Diego to Phoenix, Arizona.
After departing from runway 27 under instrument flight rules (IFR) using the BRDR7 departure, the pilot notified SOCAL departure that the aircraft was at 1,600 feet. Following an instruction from the controller to perform a left, 180-degree turn, the aircraft began a gradual turn. After climbing to approximately 2,000 feet, the airplane entered a steep descent down to 200 feet.
Air traffic control issued a low altitude alert and ordered an immediate climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot acknowledged the instruction but later informed the controller that he was "struggling" to maintain the heading and climb. Despite the controller identifying a nearby airport only one mile away, the pilot reported he could not see it. Following a series of erratic maneuvers, the pilot issued several mayday calls.
Video footage captured the aircraft descending before climbing back into a cloud layer, after which it was no longer visible. A police helicopter searching the area later located an oil slick approximately two miles offshore. Weather conditions at the time included instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with visibility of 10 statute miles and winds of 320 degrees at 09 knots.
Background
A pilot who had flown with the accident pilot previously noted that the aircraft was not equipped with an autopilot or a glass cockpit, and the pilot typically relied on a Garmin 430 and an iPad with ForeFlight for navigation. The pilot was known to hand-fly the aircraft and had previously expressed nervousness regarding the complexity of the Southern California airspace.