Authorities confirmed Sunday that a child was killed and a woman’s body was located after the wreckage of a tiny plane was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. Crews were still looking for a second person who could have been the pilot.
The wreckage of a rented single-engine Piper Cherokee was discovered about one-third of a mile west of the Venice Municipal Airport on Sunday afternoon, according to the city of Venice, Florida, on Twitter.
“The missing Piper Cherokee was discovered shortly after 2 p.m. Divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office discovered a dead kid in the plane’s passenger compartment “the city stated
The jet took off from Venice Municipal Airport around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities said the inquiry into the missing plane began at 10 a.m. ET Sunday, when the FAA ordered the Venice Police Department to check with the Venice Municipal Airport since the plane was late.
Child and woman found dead after plane wreckage discovered in Gulf of Mexico; at least one still missing https://t.co/3nb3ilXhbE
— Technical earn (@Technicalearn5) December 5, 2022
Around the same time, recreational boaters discovered the body of a woman floating 2.5 miles west of Venice Beach, according to the city of Venice. Authorities have not established whether or not the woman was a passenger. Authorities suspect a male pilot or passenger was also on the jet, but he has yet to be found.
“At this time, search activities for a probable missing male passenger are continuing; the search effort will continue until nightfall and resume when conditions allow,” Venice added.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will examine the crash, with the NTSB leading the inquiry and giving subsequent updates, according to a statement from the FAA.
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