The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for an 87-year-old pilot who went missing last week in his single-engine plane.
Officials believe Brendan Spratt's Lanclair 320 plane went missing off the coast of Boca Raton on Friday. The Coast Guard suspended the search on Monday night after searching an area in the Atlantic Ocean that is roughly double the size of New Jersey.
“The decision to suspend a case is never an easy one,” said Lt. Shawn Antonelli, a command duty officer for District Seven. “Our greatest sympathies go out to the Spratt family during this time."
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Spratt's son notified the Coast Guard that his father last checked in on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. He was had been visiting friends in the Daytona Beach area and was reportedly supposed to land in Boca Raton later that day.
Authorities said rescue crews did not locate any debris during their search.
