A Lake Tahoe woman has been identified as the person who died in a small plane crash near Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says the plane that crashed off the coast of Campus Point on Sunday has been lifted from the ocean floor, along with the pilot who was the solo passenger.
They say this recovery was a collaborative effort that started on Monday and involved the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team as well as multiple allied agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Port Police, U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, Santa Barbara County Fire, and AMR.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says  Los Angeles Port Police helped in locating the plane 180 feet below the surface with the use of their side-scan sonar and ROV.
They say that due to the complexity of the search and size of effort, the Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department SEB Dive Team who specialize in deep water salvage operations.
Officials say once the wreckage was pulled to the surface it was transported to the Goleta pier by the National Park Service Ocean Ranger.
They say late Thursday, the Coroner’s Bureau used ANDE Rapid DNA to confirm the identity of the deceased pilot as 61-year-old Deborah Nicholson from the Lake Tahoe area. The Coroner’s investigation is expected to be finalized in approximately 6 weeks.
