VENICE, Fla. — A private airplane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast Saturday night, with two people, including a 12-year-old girl, confirmed dead as authorities searched for a third person, police said.
Venice Police say the victims have been identified as pilot Christian Kath, 42, his wife Misty Kath, 43, and their daughter Lily Kath, 12. The family was currently living in St. Petersburg, Fla., and previously resided in Australia.
Divers have completed search and recovery operations at the site of Saturday night’s small plane crash off the coast of Venice, approximately 1/3 of a mile west offshore.
After consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard, the search for the missing male pilot, Christian Kath, has been discontinued at this time.
The possible parameters of the search area exceed over 2,000 square nautical miles. Family members have been notified.
Officials held a press conference on Monday, stating that there were no mayday calls before the plane crashed. They said that the three individuals were family and believed that they had flown to Venice, Florida, to have dinner.
WATCH NOW | Plane Crash Update
Authorities initiated a search Sunday after 10 a.m. following a Federal Aviation Administration inquiry to the Venice Municipal Airport about an overdue single-engine Piper Cherokee that had not returned to its origin airport in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Around the same time, recreational boaters found the body of a woman floating about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) west of the Venice shore, city of Venice spokesperson Lorraine Anderson said in a statement.
Divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office located the wreckage of the rented airplane around 2 p.m. about a third of a mile offshore, directly west of the Venice airport, Anderson said.
Rescuers found a deceased 12-year-old girl in the plane’s passenger area. A third person, a 42-year-old man from St. Petersburg who is believed to be the pilot, remains missing, Anderson said.
Officials also said recovery efforts for the aircraft are being worked out with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The search area encompasses a five-square-mile radius around the plane.
The county sheriff’s office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Sarasota Police Department, Florida Fish, and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office, and the National Transportation Safety Board were involved in the investigation, Anderson said.
Update 12/5/2022 — The rented Piper Cherokee that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday night has been recovered.
The plane will be brought to the Higel Marine Park boat ramp in Venice this evening and will be transported to a secure National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) facility in Jacksonville for further investigation.
Higel Park at 1330 Tarpon Center Dr. is closed to the public at this time for staging. An announcement will be made when the park and boat ramp has reopened for normal marine activity.
Search efforts have been suspended for the day Monday, with divers unable to locate the missing 42-year-old male pilot. Those involved with the search efforts will regroup Tuesday to discuss next steps.
