Woman and girl die in private plane crash in Florida as pilot still missing

The woman's body was found floating two and a half miles off the coast following the crash.

11:14, Mon, Dec 5, 2022 | UPDATED: 12:21, Mon, Dec 5, 2022

Florida: Two people dead following small plane crash

Two people are dead, including a child, and another is missing following a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.

Authorities in Venice, Florida, initiated a search Sunday after 10 am 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 west of the Venice shore, city of Venice spokesperson Lorraine Anderson said in a statement.

Hours later, just after 2pm, divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office located the wreckage about a third of a mile from shore, directly west of Venice airport.

The divers found a dead girl in the passenger area of the crashed plane. A third person, believed to be the male pilot, has not been found.

In a Facebook update, Venice Police Department said: "Marine assets from multiple agencies responded to the area of the female search and recovery efforts for any other persons and/or plane wreckage.

A plane.

Two people are dead and one is missing following the crash. (Image: GETTY)

"Just after 2pm, the missing Piper Cherokee was located. Divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office located a deceased juvenile within the plane’s passenger area.

"It is believed that a male pilot or passenger was also in the plane during the flight; however, he has not yet been located with the wreckage."

The Department added the search for the missing pilot would continue until sunset and resume once conditions allowed.

A US Coastguard helicopter was seen flying over Venice Beach on Sunday assisting with the search efforts.

Boats looking for the missing person.

Several agencies were involved with the search. (Image: Venice Police Department.)

Although Venice PD had information regarding the identities of the deceased, it said it would not release the information "pending proper family notifications and clearance from other involved agencies, including the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board".

Agencies including the Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Sarasota Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office were involved in the operation.

The cause of the crash was unclear at this time.

Venice is a small beach town in Sarasota County on Florida's Gulf Coast with a population of around 25,000.