Moment plane crashes feet away from beachgoers near iconic Santa Monica pier, killing former mayor – pilot made distress call minutes into flight down Southern California shore
- Rex H. Minter, a former Santa Monica mayor, was the passenger on the single-engine Cessna plane that crashed into the Santa Monica pier Thursday
- Less than 10 minutes after he and the unidentified male pilot took off from the Santa Monica Airport, the pilot asked to ‘return’ to the runway
- He said the ‘engine was running very, very rough’ and later declared an emergency and said he would probably have to land on the beach
- Moments later, he did and as the plane’s wheels hit the sand, it toppled over
A former Santa Monica mayor was killed in a plane crash caught on camera near the Southern California city’s iconic pier on Thursday.
Rex H. Minter, who was in his late 90s, of Sunset Park, was the only passenger on the single-engine Cessna plane that crashed into the sand just feet away from beachgoers around 3pm.
The pilot, who survived the crash but has not been identified, made a distress call minutes before it went down.
Minter and the pilot had taken off from the Santa Monica Airport less than 10 minutes prior to the crash. Moments later, the male pilot told air traffic control he would ‘like to return’ to the runway and declared an ’emergency.’
In an audio recording of the conversation obtained by CBS Los Angeles, the pilot can be heard over what sounds like gunshots going off saying the ‘engine was running very, very rough.’ When asked if he would be able to land on Runway 3, the pilot replied: ‘[I] don’t think so, I may have to land it on the beach.’
Footage shows the plane landing on the beach before it flipped over in the waves.
The plane landed in the waves before it flipped onto its top (pictured) after the emergency landing. The pilot survived, but Minter, who was in his 90s, did not
Air Traffic Control told the pilot landing at the beach would be at his ‘own risk,’ but the pilot responded that he didn’t think he had ‘another choice.’
Minter died, while the pilot was taken to the hospital, according to Fox 10. One was said to be in cardiac arrest when firefighters pulled them out, according to AP.
Minter’s death was confirmed by current Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis on Thursday evening, whose office released a statement honoring the former mayor, who held the position from 1963 to 1967.
It read: ‘The City is grateful for Mr. Minter’s public service and we join his family in mourning his passing.’
Prior to serving as mayor, Minter was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1955 and later served as a City Attorney for Arcadia and as a judge for the LA County Superior Court. He was also a Marine.
He met his wife Doris at Santa Monica High School and they were both active within the Santa Monica Rotary Club and avid aviators. His wife was also a member of the Ninety-Nines – an international organization for female pilots.
The unidentified pilot told Air Traffic Control the ‘engine was running very, very rough’ moments before he told them he would have to land on the beach
After it landed in the waves (pictured), it flipped over, killing Minter and injuring the pilot
Minter (pictured at an unknown time) was the Santa Monica mayor between 1963 to 1967 and an avid aviator
Emergency services responded to the call and firefighters said one of the men was experiencing cardiac arrest, but it is unclear which one
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