Authorities have suspended their ground search for a pilot whose small plane went missing as it flew from north Florida to the Tampa Bay area.
Theodore Weiss of Zephyrhills was flying a fixed-wing, single-engine Sonex two-seater with white and green stripes. The Marion County Sheriff's office says Weiss left the Dunnellon Airport on April 5, bound for Zephyrhills.
Weiss' last known coordinates were over the dense Withlacoochee State Forest. On Saturday, Hernando County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Denise Moloney said a ground search involving multiple law enforcement agencies was being suspended after failing to find Weiss.
Moloney says air searches for Weiss' plane will continue.
The Ocala Star-Banner reports that authorities searched more than 8 square miles of the state forest Saturday and more than 11 square miles on Friday.
