SAN DIEGO — The pilot of a Cessna P210 plane died after crashing into a La Jolla neighborhood Wednesday night.
Story Update November 20, 2023: The pilot was identified as Michael Mehdi Salour, 74, of Carlsbad, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. He was the sole occupant of the plane.
Around 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, the pilot reported to the traffic control tower that he was running out of fuel. Air traffic controllers then lost connection with him and nothing further was heard from the aircraft after that time.
After an extensive search, San Diego Police and Fire found the downed plane Thursday around 3:00 a.m. on a hillside just south of La Jolla Village Drive and Gilman Drive.
WATCH: Aerials above the crash scene:
According to flightaware.com, the plane originated from the Bay Area. It appeared the pilot made several unusual turns right before the crash.
SDPD confirmed that the plane made a stop in Murietta, which is in Riverside County and northeast of San Diego, just past Temecula.
Police brought out K9s to search canyons and hilly areas because that is where radar had last spotted the aircraft.
About 2:00 a.m., a witness called police and reported seeing a plane flying at low altitude in the La Jolla area. Police sent a drone team to the neighborhood and located the plane. Air support was limited due to fog and rain, according to Sgt. Tracey Williams.
Neighbor Erica Fischer lives at the top of the hillside where the plane hit. Like many other neighbors, she told CBS 8 she didn't hear anything last night.
"My cleaning lady called to know if I was all right," she said. "I didn't know anything had happened."
Longtime pilot Stewart Ortiz visited the crash site. He told CBS 8 the plane that went down is one only experienced pilots fly.
"This is a more complex aircraft," he said. "You have to be more skilled to be able to fly this aircraft."
He said the problems that led to the crash could've been weather-related, mechanical or pilot error.
"At a certain point when you lose fuel, you're gliding down and trying to find a safe place to place the aircraft," he said.
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See more images from the crash scene:
WATCH: One dead after Cessna crashes Thursday morning in La Jolla