Former Santa Monica Mayor Dies After Plane Crashes, Flips On Beach

SANTA MONICA, CA — Former Santa Monica Mayor Rex Minter died Thursday after he was involved in a plane crash where the aircraft overturned in the ocean just south of the Pier, Mayor Gleam Davis announced.

The crash happened at Santa Monica Beach around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday after the pilot, who hasn't been identified, reported engine issues after the plane's departure from the airport, according to Federal Aviation Administration Spokesperson Donell Evans.

Video footage of the wreck showed the small aircraft as the pilot tried to land on the sand. When the wheels hit the ground, you can see the plane flip over nose-first.

"Sadly, former SM mayor and judge Rex Minter was the passenger in the plane that crashed on the beach south of the Pier this afternoon. He has passed away," Davis said on Twitter. " I have spoken with his family and relayed the City’s deepest condolences to them."

Minter was one of two people on the plane who were hospitalized following the plane crash. Both passengers needed to be extricated, but were both removed alive immediately following the crash, Santa Monica Police Lieutenant Rudy Flores said.

At that time Minter and the pilot were transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries. No other people on the beach were injured in the accident, Flores said.

The pilot survived the crash with minor injuries according to the FAA.

The plane was a single-engine Cessna 150A aircraft with a private owner from Pacific Palisades, according to FAA records. It departed from Santa Monica Airport at 3:08 p.m., according to a flight tracking website.