Former Santa Monica Mayor Killed in Plane Crash on Beach

A former Santa Monica Mayor  was killed Thursday in a single-engine plane crash just south of Santa Monica Pier according to Santa Monica city officials.

Former Mayor Rex Minter was a passenger in the Cessna 150, which flipped over after landing on the beach at around 3:15 p.m., according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The plane ended up upside-down on the sand. 

The pilot was freed from the wreckage. Details about the pilot’s condition were not immediately available.

“The city of Santa Monica mourns the passing of former Mayor Rex H. Minter (1927 -2022) and we send our deepest condolences to his children, grandchildren, family members, and his many friends throughout Santa Monica,” wrote Santa Monica spokeswoman Constance Farrell.

Minter was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1955 and served as mayor between 1963 and 1967, Farrell said. He later served as city attorney for Arcadia, and as a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Flags in front of City Hall will be lowered to half-staff and a City Council meeting in the new year will be adjourned in honor of Minter’s service.

The plane was leaving from Santa Monica Airport when the pilot reported engine trouble, the FAA said. The agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

Santa Monica Fire Department Chief Danny Alvarez confirmed the pilot called the airport tower before the crash landing. “We have a report that they did report some sort of emergency to the tower at Santa Monica Airport but we’re still gathering the details,” he said.