Divers were back in the water Thursday working to recover the plane that crashed into the ocean off Campus Point over the weekend.
The search for the Cesna 182 Skylane and pilot Deborah Nicholson began Sunday morning, shortly after people reported seeing a plane rapidly losing altitude toward the ocean off the coast of Goleta Beach Park.
Search teams found debris consistent with the plane a short time later.
Monday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation.
The FAA will arrive on scene once the plane is removed from the water.
Santa Barbara Airport officials say the plane took off from the airport shortly after 7 a.m. and was headed to the Lake Tahoe area, where the 61-year-old pilot is from.
No word on what may have caused the plane to go down.
Divers are in the water off campus point today as we begin recovery efforts for the pilot and plane that went down Sunday. Assisting agencies include @SEBLASD @USCG National Parks, @SBCFireInfo and @AMRSB pic.twitter.com/ryDTVLe69m
— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) October 1, 2020
