Six people are missing after a small plane crashed into the ocean off San Diego on Sunday, authorities said.

The Cessna 414, equipped with two engines, crashed around 3 miles to the west of a city in southern California at 12:30 p.m., shortly following takeoff, as stated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials mentioned that the Coast Guard was still conducting a search for the individuals aboard the aircraft, as wreckage was discovered scattered in the ocean close to the Point Loma neighborhood. The water in that area has a depth of approximately 200 feet.

The pilot had told air traffic controllers that he was struggling to climb in the moments after taking off, according to Live ATC audio.

As per the audio recording, the air traffic controller advised the pilot to ascend to 4,000 feet when the pilot indicated that the aircraft was flying at an altitude of only 1,000 feet. Subsequently, the controller instructed the pilot to attempt a landing at a nearby US naval airfield.

Moments later, the pilot repeatedly signaled the “Mayday” distress call before controllers lost radar contact.

A man who was out surfing when the plane went down told NBC 7 that he saw the aircraft plummet at an angle, then climb back into the clouds before diving again and crashing into the water.

“The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about 6 seconds later, it was dead silent. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed,” said the witness, Tyson Wislofsky.

The plane was en route to Phoenix, Ariz., at the time, according to data from the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com.

The names of those on board weren’t immediately released by authorities.

The plane was apparently owned by Arizona-based vitamin and nutritional supplement maker Optimal Health Systems, the feds said.

But the company said it had sold the plane to a group of private individuals in 2023, although it knew some of those on board at the time of the crash.

“We personally know several of the passengers onboard and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community,” the company’s founder, Doug Grant, said in a statement.

With Post wires