United Air Lines Flight 266 - Wikipedia On January 18, 1969, at approximately 18:21 PST, the Boeing 727 operating the flight crashed into Santa Monica Bay, Pacific Ocean, about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west of Los Angeles International Airport, four minutes after takeoff, killing all 38 on board. Rescuers (at the time) speculated that an explosion occurred aboard the plane, a Boeing 727.