Body Of Lake Tahoe Attorney Found In Wreckage Of Small Plane Crash On Ocean Floor

SANTA BARBARA (CBS SF/AP) — A wrecked plane and the body of its pilot, a Lake Tahoe-area attorney, have been raised from the ocean floor nearly a week after it crashed off the coast of Santa Barbara, authorities said Friday.

The smashed wreckage of the plane was pulled Thursday from about 180 feet of water off the coast of Campus Point, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

The single-engine Cessna 182 Skylane went down Sunday shortly after taking off from Santa Barbara Airport on a flight to Truckee in the Lake Tahoe area.

Divers are in the water off campus point today as we begin recovery efforts for the pilot and plane that went down Sunday. Assisting agencies include @SEBLASD @USCG National Parks, @SBCFireInfo and @AMRSB pic.twitter.com/ryDTVLe69m

— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) October 1, 2020

It went down about two miles from Campus Point, which is located on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus.

Also recovered was the body of the pilot, identified as 61-year-old Deborah Nicholson. She was an estate attorney from the Lake Tahoe area.

Sheriff’s deputies and County Air Support are assisting Coast Guard with report of a plane crash 2 miles off Campus Point. Coast Guard will be primary for this investigation. pic.twitter.com/qAJ1cVmjqg

— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) September 27, 2020

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According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Nicholson left behind two college-age sons.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.