Couple killed in Half Moon Bay plane crash 2 weeks from wedding day

A second woman's body was found in the water Tuesday near where a small plane crashed into the ocean off the California coast – and according to an obituary, she was supposed to have married her pilot fiancé in two weeks, had they both not died near Half Moon Bay. 

Cassidy "CP" Petit, 26, of Oakland, and fiancé Lochie Ferrier, died in a plane crash on Jan. 14 about 7 p.m. when a 911 caller said the single-engine plane was in obvious distress and appeared to go down toward the water, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Two others were on board. 

The Bay Area News Group reported that authorities and family members identified the other victims of the crash as: Isaac Zimmern and his longtime partner, Emma Willmer-Shiles, both 27 and living in San Francisco. 

The body of Willmer-Shiles was spotted Monday morning floating in the water nearby by the crew of a commercial fishing boat. 

Neither of the men's bodies has been found. 

According to Petit's online obituary, she and Ferrier were to have been married in Kaui on Jan. 28.

She and Ferrier fell in love and moved to Oakland in February 2023 to pursue new career opportunities, her obituary said.

She became an analyst for venture capital firm RH Capital, which invests in companies that drive innovation, access, and equity in reproductive and maternal health.

Ferrier's LinkedIn profile, which has now been memorialized, says he was a team member at Beta Technologies and loved electric airplanes. It also states he attended MIT and the National Test Pilot School. 

The young couple, and her dog, Kane, spent time exploring their new home on the West Coast hiking, camping, skiing, biking, surfing and flying, her family wrote. 

Instead of a wedding, friends and family are invited to Petit's celebration of life this Saturday in her hometown of Burlington, Vermont. 

The NTSB said its investigators arrived on scene Tuesday to document the wreckage and interview witnesses. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

Half Moon BayNews