Plane Impacts Ocean Shortly After Takeoff From CRQ

Two people perished, and a third was missing Sunday when their Cessna 182 Skylane went down about a mile off the coast of Carlsbad, CA in low-IFR conditions.

According to US Coast Guard spokesman, Officer Jeffrey Ventura, a witness alerted the Coast Guard at 9:48 am. Searchers then located a debris field and recovered two bodies, according to San Diego's KGTV-10.

The bodies were identified as Sharon Kochert, 59, and her 25-year-old daughter Alexandria Meekcoms. They were recovered by boaters less than a mile offshore, according to The Arizona Republic.

The search for Kochert's husband Leroy, 70, believed to be the pilot, has been suspended, according to the Coast Guard.

The family was from Ahwatukee, AZ. Kochert's 182 is based at the Chandler Municipal Airport, according to Greg Chenoweth, airport manager.

The plane took off Sunday from McClellan-Palomar Airport at 9:45 am. Officials received reports of the plane going down three minutes later after reporting "some sort of catastrophic problem," said Bill Polic, public affairs officer for the airport,

The plane crashed in the ocean about two to three miles from the departure end of the runway.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 97287        Make/Model: C182      Description: 182, Skylane
  Date: 04/29/2007     Time: 1645

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: CARLSBAD   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO THE OCEAN UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE THREE
  PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, CARLSBAD, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   3
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: 00000KT 2 1/2 SM BR OVC005 15/13 A3002

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: CARLSBAD, CA                Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: CHANDLER, AZ             Flt Plan: IFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: SAN DIEGO, CA  (WP09)                 Entry date: 04/30/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw/airports/mcpal.html