Moss Beach Plane Crash
In a devastating plane crash off the California coast near Moss Beach, an engaged couple and two other individuals lost their lives. The victims have been identified as Australian Bay Area pilot Lochie Ferrier and his fiancée, Cassidy Petit of Hayward, California, along with 27-year-old Emma Pearl Willmer-Shiles of San Francisco. The identity of the fourth victim remains undisclosed.
The tragic incident occurred on Sunday evening when authorities received reports of a small airplane flying erratically near Moss Beach. Witnesses observed the aircraft before it disappeared from sight. A joint effort by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard led to the discovery of debris in the ocean consistent with parts from a plane. The small plane was found upside down in the water near Ross Cove.
The engaged couple, Ferrier and Petit, had recently announced their engagement on Instagram. Ferrier, who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019 with a degree in aerospace engineering, had a passion for experimental flight tests and joined Beta Technologies in December 2023. Willmer-Shiles, also an MIT graduate, was believed to be Ferrier's classmate.
The cause of the accident remains unknown, and an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is ongoing. The NTSB disclosed that the Cozy MK IV plane initially departed from Hayward before landing in Half Moon Bay and then tragically crashing in the Moss Beach area.
Local authorities, including the San Mateo County Coroner's Office and NTSB, will continue to collaborate to determine the cause of the crash and the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.
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