A fisherman reported the incident around 3:30 p.m. on Friday when the two planes went down near the Angeles Gate Lighthouse, which is located near the San Pedro breakwater and Cabrillo Beach.
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The Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration have confirmed that there was a mid-air collision Friday involving two small planes near the Port of Los Angeles, and an ocean search is underway, authorities said.
The Coast Guard discovered debris, which indicated at least one plane went down.
The other plane – a Super Decathlon – was being flown by a 72-year-old woman.
Officials say a radar of the area showed two planes colliding before they disappeared Friday evening.
It was not immediately clear who was aboard the second plane.
A Coast Guard helicopter was launched at 6:30 a.m. today to perform an aerial evaluation of the search effort, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrea Anderson.
About two dozen divers are working at the site but the wreckage may be at the bottom in 80 to 90 feet of water. The area is popular for flight students.
A search is under way near Los Angeles harbor for a small plane that reportedly crashed in the ocean.
Traffic that normally transitions through the Angeles Gate should re-route to enter and depart through the Queens Gate entrance, officials said. Three to four planes are in the air on any given day.
The midair crash of Friday had not been the first in the region.
“So with the amount of activity, actually, I think we’ve been fortunate”, he said.
In 2001, four people died when two Cessna airplanes carrying instructors and students collided 1,000 feet above the harbor.
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An official figure for the number of people on board was unknown.
