Sport Plane Crashes in Ocean Off Carbon Beach

The battered Sky Arrow 600 Sport rests on the sand after the craft was pulled from the ocean. Photo/Frank Nielsen

Paramedics and lifeguards load one of two critically-injured men into an ambulance after their plane crashed into the Pacific 150 feet off Billionaire's Beach. The men were driven to a helicopter waiting at Pepperdine University, then flown to UCLA. Photo/Hans Laetz

BY HANS LAETZ

Two men were seriously injured when a small sport plane dived into the ocean 150 feet off Carbon Beach, also known as Billionaire’s Beach, on Tuesday.
The single-engine plane, a Sky Arrow 600 Sport, crashed at about 5:15 p.m. about a-half-mile east of the Malibu Pier.
Lifeguards rushed Baywatch Malibu and two other boats to the scene, removed the men from the wreckage, and brought them to the Malibu Pier.
Deputies ordered several dozen people off the pier, as the men were placed in ambulances to be driven to a landing zone at Pepperdine University. From there, the men were helicoptered to the UCLA Medical Center in what was later described as critical condition.
The plane was apparently rented from a company at Santa Monica Airport. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot was not in contact with air traffic controllers and no flight plan had been filed.
The Italian-made sports plane is one of a new breed of general aviation planes designed to be flown by hobbyists, and is smaller than a traditional light aircraft.
Gregor said the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation.
By sunset, the plane had sunk in about 25 feet of water, and sheriff’s deputies said federal authorities would recover the wreck. The shattered craft was later hauled out and rested on the sand to await transport.