Man Killed in Plane Crash Identified

The pilot killed in a plane crash after departing from Half Moon Bay Monday morning was identified as the 75-year-old Florida man that the plane was registered to, according to the San Mateo County coroner's office.

Andrew Hayden, of Punta Gorda, Fla., a former U.S. Navy SEAL, was killed when his single-engine Aeropro CZ A240 crashed near Seal Cove shortly after departing from the Half Moon Bay Airport for Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, Ariz., around 5:50 a.m. Monday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane was registered to Hayden, who was the only person in the plane, according to officials. Cause of death has not been confirmed, but the coroner's investigation suggests Hayden may have died before the plane crashed.

Hayden's wife said he had intended to make a fuel stop in Apple Valley, Calif., and she reported the aircraft missing when it did not show up on schedule at Marana, according to Gregor.

After a search effort led by the U.S. Coast Guard and aided by the Civil Air Patrol and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, a ground-based search crew found the wreckage around noon Tuesday, about 400 yards west of the Half Moon Bay airport, Gregor said. FAA investigators were at the scene Tuesday, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to arrive today.

--Bay City News