Recovery Effort Resumes... In 115 Foot Water

The search for victims in Monday afternoon's mid-air collision over the Pacific off the California coast was called off late Tuesday. The US Coast Guard says the mission has been reclassified as a recovery effort, and underwater teams will attempt to locate the wreckage and bodies in water up to 115 feet deep off Long Beach.

The FAA reports that the collision involved an LGB Based Cessna 172 (file photo, below), from Aero Aviation, carrying an unidentified flight instructor and student. The other plane was a Cessna 310 (illustrated last, below) twin thought to have been occupied only by its pilot and owner, 53-year-old Gary Gierczak of Los Alamitos, a husband and father of two.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and says both planes had taken off from Long Beach Airport. The underwater search will involve personnel from the Coast Guard, LA County Sheriff and city and county fire departments, and Long Beach FD.

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 738NN Make/Model: C172 Description: 172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
 Date: 05/19/2009 Time: 0101
 Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: Y Missing: N
 Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
 City: TORRANCE State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N738NN, A CESSNA 172N AIRCRAFT, AND N777AL, A CESSNA 310P AIRCRAFT, COLLIDED OVER THE OCEAN, THE COAST GUARD HAS LOCATED A DEBRIS FIELD AND THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR PERSONS ON BOARD, 9 MILES FROM TORRANCE, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
 # Crew: 2 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 2
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
 Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
 FAA FSDO: LONG BEACH, CA (WP05) Entry date: 05/20/2009

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 777AL Make/Model: C310 Description: 310, T310 (U-3, L-27)
 Date: 05/19/2009 Time: 0101
 Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: Y Missing:
 Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
 City: TORRANCE State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N738NN, A CESSNA 172N AIRCRAFT, AND N777AL, A CESSNA 310P AIRCRAFT, COLLIDED OVER THE OCEAN, THE COAST GUARD HAS LOCATED A DEBRIS FIELD AND THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR PERSONS ON BOARD, 9 MILES FROM TORRANCE, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
 # Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
 Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: Other
 FAA FSDO: LONG BEACH, CA (WP05) Entry date: 05/20/2009

FMI: www.ntsb.gov