A single-engine Cessna 150 crashed on Santa Monica beach on Dec. 22, killing a former mayor of Santa Monica. Former Mayor Rex H. Minter was killed in the crash at 95 and the pilot was taken to the hospital but his condition is unknown.
Beachgoers saw more than the ocean on Thursday when a Cessna flew straight for the shore and flipped over into the water after landing. Video from witnesses shows the plane attempting a landing and flipping after impact. The plane rested upside down with both passengers trapped inside until local crews could get them out.
According to SurfSantaMonica, the pilot reported engine trouble after leaving the Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) and the FAA said the plane landed and flipped south of the pier at around 3:15 p.m. Authorities told CBS News that one of the two onboard suffered a cardiac emergency.
Bystanders stood and watched as the plane flew straight down to the shore and crashed. Santa Monica FD was assisted by Santa Monica PD and LA County Lifeguards at the scene. Santa Monica Daily Press said in a recording between the pilot and the tower, the pilot requested a return to the airport due to a rough engine, but he then announced the need to land on the beach. The tower warned the pilot of the risk and he responded he had no choice.
No one was injured on the beach and local crews worked while waiting for federal investigators from the NTSB and FAA to arrive, according to CBS News.
Current Mayor Gleam Davis announced on Twitter that Minter was the passenger that died on the plane. Minter was elected to the city council in 1955 at 27 and served as Santa Monica Mayor from 1963 to 1967. He later served as City Attorney for Arcadia and as a judge for the LA County Superior Court.
According to a release from the City of Santa Monica, he met his wife at Santa Monica High School, served in the U.S. Marines and opened a law practice in the area after law school.
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