A pilot who went missing after lifting off from Sebastian Municipal Airport headed to the Bahamas was identified as Christopher Moore, Coast Guard officials said. Moore, along with the plane, was still missing as of Wednesday.
Moore’s age and town of residence were not immediately available. Other media reports listed Moore as being from Louisville, Kentucky.
U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force searched for the missing plane that disappeared over the ocean, but found no signs of the aircraft or the pilot, officials said.
Moore left on a solo trip Sunday morning headed toward the Bahamas, said Nicholas Strasburg, petty officer third-class for the Coast Guard Seventh District. Moore took off on a single-engine BRM Aero Bristell plane.
A relative notified Coast Guard officials and reported Moore missing after he did not make it to his destination, Strasburg said. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice informing agencies the aircraft was reported overdue.
Coast Guard crews assisted the Bahamian defence force to track down the pilot. Coast Guard officials used aircrafts to scan more than 1,760 square miles across the ocean, Strasburg said.
“The plane’s last known position was approximately 50 miles northwest of Freeport, Bahamas,” FAA officials said in a statement.
The Bahamian defence force notified Coast Guard crews about 10 p.m. Monday that they suspended the search.