SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The search for the missing pilot of a small plane crash off the coast of Venice was discontinued for the time being, according to a statement released by the City.
Officials said divers completed search and recovery efforts at the site where the plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 3. They also said that their decision to discontinue the search for the missing male pilot, Christian Kath, came after consulting with the U.S. Coast Guard and that family has been notified.
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They asked for boaters from Sarasota Bay south to Gasparilla should stay alert and be aware of the possibility of sighting remains of aircraft debris. If they do see something, they should contact the Coast Guard immediately using marine radio on channel 16.
Venice Police identified the three victims Tuesday night. Police said that Kath, 42, was with passengers Misty Kath, his wife, 43, and their daughter Lily, 12.
The family was living in St. Petersburg and had previously lived in Australia. Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg has also confirmed Lily was a student at the school.
Records showed Christian had only been a pilot for a short time, and he only began flying solo earlier in 2022. Venice Police said it's believed the family had flown to Venice from St. Petersburg to have dinner.
Authorities initiated a search Sunday morning 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. The body of Lily Kath was found later.
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.
