The Royal Bahamas Defence Force suspended the search for a missing aircraft that took off from Sebastian Municipal Airport earlier this week, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials. The pilot was the only person aboard the single-engine BRM Aero Bristell plane that was headed toward the Bahamas.
“Around 10 p.m. Monday they informed us they suspended the search,” said Nicholas Strasburg, petty officer third-class for the U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District. “Their search had negative results.”
The aircraft departed from Sebastian on Sunday morning headed to Freeport, Bahamas. A friend of the pilot reported the person missing to the Coast Guard, Strasburg said.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice informing agencies the aircraft was reported overdue, according to officials. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force led the search efforts for the missing plane and pilot.
Coast Guard crews assisted the Bahamian defence force by using aircrafts to comb the waters for the plane. The Coast Guard searched about 1,760 square miles across the ocean, but found no traces of the plane or pilot, Strasburg said.
“The plane’s last known position was approximately 50 miles northwest of Freeport, Bahamas,” FAA officials said in a statement.