WASHINGTON, US - A small plane that was allegedly travelling to Hawaii crashed off the coast of California, killing two people.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday that the agency was investigating a crash of a Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter in the Pacific Ocean, about 64 km off the coast of Half Moon Bay.
Flight data reported that the plane departed from Santa Rosa-Sonoma County airport around 8am and flew southwest for two hours towards Honolulu before turning as the pilot declared a mayday, United Press International (UPI) reported, citing The Mercury News.
It was not immediately clear if the plane intended to reach Honolulu, located more than 3,851 km from the airport.
Technical specifications for the Twin Otter showed that it has a max flight range of about 1,814 km, less than half the distance to Hawaii, if the plane had long-range tankage.
The US Coast Guard located the plane submerged about 64 km from San Francisco with both the pilot and co-pilot dead, The Mercury News reported. There were no passengers onboard. - BERNAMA-UPI