Hi! I was the pilot in the crash (female as the posts said, and I appreciate the correction from the newspaper). I wanted to correct the information on gliding- the crash was 11 miles offshore but I actually was around 22 miles from shore at 7,000 feet when the failure occured. The engine was making a tapping noise, which sounded like a mechanical issue, but I guess we will never know. Thanks for your interest, and fly safely!