VENICE BEACH
A search for a missing 42-year-old pilot who crashed off the coast of Venice Beach on Saturday night has been discontinued.
The missing pilot, Christian Kath, went down in the plane with a 12-year-old girl and a 43-year-old woman who was found dead in the water when first responders arrived.
Searchers were looking for Kath approximately a third of a mile west offshore, according to Lorraine Anderson, a City of Venice public information officer. The possible parameters of the search exceeded over 2,000 nautical miles.
“After consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard, the search for the missing male pilot, Christian Kath, has been discontinued at this time,” Anderson said, adding that family has been notified.
Boaters from Sarasota Bay to Gasparilla must be aware of the possibility of sighting remains or small aircraft debris. If anything is observed, please call the Coast Guard using marine radio on chanel 16, Anderson said.
The small Piper Cherokee was found about a third of a mile offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Venice police said during a news conference on Monday that there was no mayday call from the plane before the crash.
WINK NEWS