Dr. John Longhurst, who once chaired UC Irvine’s Department of Medicine, and his wife, Cherril, died Tuesday, Feb. 6, when their single-engine plane crashed in Santee, officials announced.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Wednesday John Longhurst, 70, and Cherril Longhurst, 71, of Corona Del Mar were killed when their Cessna 182 crashed shortly after a 7 a.m. takeoff from the Gillespie Field airport.

“The UC Irvine community is deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. John and Cherril Longhurst,” Dr. Michael J. Stamos, dean of the UC Irvine School of Medicine, said in a statement. “John was a respected colleague and beloved member of our faculty.”

Dr. Longhurst was a cardiologist who specialized in cardiovascular disease and prevention, Stamos said. “John helped deepen the understanding of acupuncture as a clinical tool to treat hypertension. His contributions to UC Irvine and the medical community are immense, and he and Cherril will be profoundly missed.”

The couple’s children, Dr. Chris Longhurst, Jenny Cretu and Dana Holve, released a statement saying, “Our hearts are truly broken by the loss of our parents.

“They were our biggest cheerleaders, loved and supported us,” they said, “and family meant everything to them.”

Dr. Longhurst retired from UC Irvine in 2015. From 2001 to 2014, he served as director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine.

He was chairman of UCI’s Department of Medicine and chief of its Division of Cardiology from 1998 to 2002.

The Cessna was owned by the Longhursts, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

The plane apparently experienced mechanical problems and the pilot may have been trying to return to the airport when the aircraft crashed in a field, Santee Fire Chief Richard Smith said.

No one on the ground was injured. A pair of dogs riding in the plane survived the impact and were taken to an El Cajon veterinary hospital, where one died.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

City News Service contributed to this report.