Pilot Killed When Cessna Running Low on Fuel Crashes into Hillside in La Jolla

Cessna crash
NBC 7 coverage of the crash in La Jolla. Image from broadcast

The pilot of a single-engine Cessna P210 plane died when it crashed in a La Jolla neighborhood, police said Thursday.

The pilot radioed at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday he was low on fuel when communication was lost, NBC 7 said.

The plane took off from a Concord airport at around 5:30 p.m. and tried to land at Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa before continuing northwest toward La Jolla in rain and fog along the coast, the TV station said.

Police discovered the plane’s wreckage on a hillside south of La Jolla Village Drive and Gilman Drive using a drone unit at around 3 a.m. Thursday.

San Diego police said the pilot of the plane was the only person on board and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane’s registered owner is Michael M. Salour of Carlsbad.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.

Originally posted 2023-11-16 16:51:38.