The Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy are searching for the pilot of a small overdue aircraft that likely crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.
Officials say that the missing pilot has been identified as Steven Schumacher. He was reported overdue by his family, flying in from Missouri. He was traveling in a Piper Aztec twin engine plane, tail number N778PA. There were no passengers with him.
The Coast Guard says they received a report from Schumacher’s family on Wednesday that Schumacher did not reach his destination.
Schumacher left Missouri Wednesday afternoon and was scheduled to land in Gonzales, Louisiana, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. His last known position was 380 nautical miles south of Louisiana and 300 nautical miles east of Corpus Christi, Texas. An online flight tracker’s last contact for the plane indicated it was about 50 feet above the water, according to officials.
Involved in the search are:
- Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry air crew
- Secretaria de Marina vessel
