Family IDs son, 27, as 1 of 4 who died in Half Moon Bay plane crash

A Bay Area family has identified their son as one of the four people in a plane that crashed off the waters of Half Moon Bay on Sunday evening.

Isaac Zimmern, a 27year-old native of San Francisco, was on the plane with his longtime partner, Emma “Pearl” Willmer-Shiles and another couple when it crashed on Jan. 14, his family said in a statement shared with the Chronicle. The family urged the public — and the media — to respect the family’s privacy and did not release any other information.

Four individuals were aboard the single-engine plane that crashed shortly after taking off near Half Moon Bay, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. As of Friday afternoon, only the body of Willmer-Shiles had been recovered. The others, including Zimmern, are presumed dead.

The U.S. Coast Guard called off their searchand-rescue operation less than a day after they had begun to search, explaining they had made their decision to stop an active search when “survivability” became less likely, spokespersons said.

A commercial fishing boat found Willmer-Shiles’ body floating about a mile south of where crews found pieces of the aircraft, a fourseat plane that is classified as a “homebuilt” aircraft.

The bulk of the plane, a Cozy MK IV that took off from Hayward Executive Airport on Sunday afternoon, had still not been found as of Friday.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

Spokespersons told the Chronicle that even without parts of the aircraft, investigators will still be able to conduct an investigation and determine a probable cause for the crash.

A preliminary report will be available within 30 days. A probable cause of the crash along with any contributing factor will be detailed in the final report, which could take anywhere from one to two years.