2 planes crash into sea after mid-air collision

LOS ANGELES-Rescue crews searched unsuccessfully into the night Friday off the coast between San Pedro and L.A. Harbor for survivors of a possible midair collision between two small planes. A county fire official said the report came from the crew of a fishing boat.

Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Ken Haskett said divers had found a plane tail number and a partial number from a second plane in the water. A 72-year-old woman was the sole occupant of the other plane, according to the Coast Guard.

Two small planes collided mid-air and crashed into the ocean off San Pedro on Friday, officials said. The area is popular for flight students.

The Coast Guard said that all traffic normally transitioning through Angels Gate should re-route, enter and depart from the Long Beach Queens Gate entrance.

Divers have been sent to search the area, with the current efforts focusing on 200 square miles. Authorities said the two aircraft involved were believed to be a Beechcraft and Super Decathlon.

Coast Guard boats have been unable to find any survivors. On a typical day, there will be three or four planes in the air at the same time. “We are really diligent”.

The midair crash of Friday had not been the first in the region.

In 2001, four people died when two Cessna airplanes carrying instructors and students collided 1,000 feet above the harbor.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the agency had been alerted about an aircraft down, but had no information about the type of plane or the number of people on board. “I don’t know why, what happened in this situation”.

There’s no word yet on what it found but Anderson says there’s still an active search for three people who are believed to have been in the planes.