Crews find plane wreckage debris off Pasco

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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plane BAY NEWS 9 -- The Coast Guard says they have found a two-mile stretch of plane debris off the coast of Pasco County.

Wednesday afternoon a small plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico about 16 to 20 miles from Pasco County.

Five people are believed to have been on board the plane, a twin-engine Cessna, which was flying from McKinney, Texas to Tampa.

The FAA says at 5,000 feet the pilot of the aircraft reported encountering severe turbulence from a line of thunderstorms. They said after that they lost contact with the pilot.

Air traffic controllers in Jacksonville said the plane dropped off their radar just before 3 p.m.

The Coast Guard has a helicopter, two boats, and a cutter searching the area.

Crews will continue the search for the passengers throughout the night.

The names of those on board aren't currently known. The plane is registered to Q4 Aviation LLC in Carrollton, Texas.

Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay said surface winds could have been as high as 40 mph about 3 p.m.

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