Santa Monica Plane Crash Kills Ex-Mayor Rex Minter – Horror Moment Jet crashes into the beach in front of stunned onlookers

FORMER Mayor of Santa Monica Rex H. Minter has died in a horror plane crash after the plane he was traveling in crashed onto a beach.

Minter was a passenger aboard a single-engine Cessna that struck the shoreline of Santa Monica Beach just after 3 p.m. Thursday, less than 10 minutes after departing the Santa Monica Airport en route to Malibu.

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Lifeguards and emergency services responded to a call from the beach, where the fatal landing had turned the plane upside down after just nine minutes in the air.

Video footage taken with a cellphone showed the plane heading for the coast before crashing into sand and water.

According to the flight record, the pilot was on course for Malibu, but encountered engine problems near the Pacific Palisades.

After attempting a U-turn to Santa Monica Airport, the pilot had no choice but to make an emergency landing near the pier.

“Landing on the beach is at your own risk,” said the air traffic controller as the plane approached the shore, to which the pilot replied, “I wish I had another choice.”

Minter’s death was confirmed by current Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis late Thursday night.

Davis tweeted after the devastating crash: “Sadly, former SM Mayor and Judge Rex Minter was the passenger on the plane that crashed on the beach south of the pier this afternoon. He died. I have spoken to his family and sent them the deepest condolences in the city.”

The pilot who flew the small plane was also injured, but officials have not yet provided any information on the severity of his condition.

Minter was born in 1927 and served as mayor of Santa Monica from 1963 to 1967, after serving on the city council when he was elected in 1955.

After his tenure as mayor ended, Minter also served as the prosecutor for Arcadia and as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The city of Santa Monica released a statement after the fatal crash, saying Minter is “active in the Santa Monica Rotary Club and, along with his wife, is an avid aviator.”

“The city is grateful for Mr Minter’s public service and we join his family in mourning his death. Flags outside City Hall will be lowered to half-staff and a New Year’s City Council meeting will be adjourned in honor of Minter’s service,” the statement said.

No beachgoers were injured in the crash, which is still under investigation.

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