Brooksville Plane went missing - Cedar Key Florida

markab

markab

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markab
http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2017/02/missing-plane-cedar-key-levy-county.html



LEVY COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the waters off Cedar Key after a single-engine plane with three people on board failed to show up at its destination on Sunday, officials said.

The plane, which left Brooksville, was supposed to arrive in Cedar Key around noon Sunday. The last time the plane was seen on radar was about 11:20 a.m., officials tell News Channel 8.

At that time, the plane was seven miles south of Cedar Key.

Just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, a missing plane report was filed.

It is not known who is on board.

The plane is described as brown and white. No other details were given.

A helicopter was dispatched from the USCG Air Station in Clearwater along with a 27-foot boat that was dispatched from the USCG station in Yankeetown.

Also assisting in the search are personnel from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Levy County Fire and Rescue, and Cedar Key Fire and Rescue, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
 
Fog and low ceilings here (KCDK) here until late AM yesterday- departing planes reported ceiling at 300'.
Clearly not VMC.
 
I was in the air yesterday about the same time, but out of Tampa to Orlando. It was severe clear in the route I flew. (departed Tampa at 6pm, returned at 8:30pm)
 
I tried to make the same flight back in December. It was severe clear over the land mass of Florida but there was low clouds and fog over the water. Got to within a few miles of CDK and realized there was just no way, so turned around and flew back. There is no weather reporting at CDK so it's sometimes hard to predict what conditions you will find there!
 
Flown into CDK several times. Really enjoy the place.

Last return at 11:20am and SAR not initiated until 5 pm. That seriously violates the golden hour for trauma success. And the issue of ocean currents/floating in the water if a successful ditching occurred. I understand people like to feel free in the air and enjoy not using the radio but if you're not IFR and are using flight following then SAR would be initiated immediately if something bad happens. To each their own.

Anywho, good luck to those on board.
 
Last reported radar contact was 7 miles south. I'm not sure how low radar can get there, but there are no instrument procedures there, and I can envision cancelling flight following at 7 miles or greater.
 
I don't have the information if they were or not receiving FF and what you said makes sense to me, if they were they may have terminated it being 7 out is usual. If it was terminated depending on the workload of the controller/availability of radar, the controller may not have noticed anything unusual. Just a generalized statement about the number of VFR aircraft that don't use it and pointing out how that effects SAR timeliness. Over 5 1/2 hours potentially needing help would suck.
 
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