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Authorities have identified the three victims of a fatal plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday as a pilot father, mother and 12-year-old daughter.
Christian Kath, 42, originally from Queensland, Australia, was piloting the Piper Cherokee PA-28 plane with his wife Misty, 43, originally from Fiji, and their daughter Lilly in the passenger seats.
The couple had relocated a few years ago to St Petersburg, Florida where their youngest daughter and only other child, Harper, was having a sleepover at a friend’s house when the plane went down off the coast of the state’s Venice Beach.
Harper is now the only surviving member of the family-of-four, and will grow up without her parents and older sister.
Authorities have identified the three victims of a fatal plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. Christian Kath (centre), 42, originally from, Australia, was piloting the Piper Cherokee PA-28 plane with his wife Misty (left), 43, originally from Fiji, and their daughter Lilly (right) in the passenger seats. Their youngest daughter Harper was not in the plane at the time
The wreckage of the plane was spotted around a third of a mile (1,760 feet) offshore, submerged in around 15 feet of water. Pictured: Officials search the water off Florida coast
According to FAA records seen by ABC station WWSB, Christian had not been a pilot for long, earning his license on July 21.
The father had shared a post to social media in March this year celebrating his first solo flight, saying he was ‘halfway through’ his private pilot’s licence after first taking up flying lessons in December 2021.
‘I flew solo for the first time today! Felt so proud to finally achieve something I’ve been wanting to do since I was 8 years old,’ he wrote in the post on Facebook.
‘Thanks for putting up with my early morning lessons and late night studying Misty Kath; it will all feel worth while when we can fly to the Keys for a weekend away with Lily and Harper soon. Feel lucky to live and be learning to fly in such a beautiful part of the world!’
In the comments of his post, his wife replied: ‘So, so proud of you!!! I cannot wait for all our flying adventures.’
After completing high school in Australia, Christian (left) worked as an operating manager for local dairy and honey producers. Misty (right) is from Fiji and moved to Australia where she studied at the University of Queensland.
Mr Kath took up training for his private pilot’s license in December 2021, and according to FAA records seen by ABC station WWSB, Christian had not been a pilot for long, earning his license on July 21. Right: The father shared a photo with his daughters on Harper’s first day of school
The family rented the plane from St Petersburg and went on a short trip south to the nearby city of Venice for dinner.
They took off from Venice Municipal Airport at around 7.30 p.m., according to a statement from the FAA seen by PEOPLE Magazine. The family are understood to have been returning when the plane crashed into the water off Venice Beach.
Authorities were alerted by the FAA who reported that a single engine plane took off from the airport, but did not return to its originating airport in St Petersburg.
The wreckage of the plane was spotted around a third of a mile (1,760 feet) offshore, submerged in around 15 feet of water, Police Chief Charlie Thorpe said.
Divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office found the deceased girl in the plane’s passenger area, while local police said Misty’s body was found by recreational boaters a few kilometres from the partially submerged wreck.
Emergency crews from Venice and Sarasota County are still searching for Christian.
The wreckage of the plane was spotted around a third of a mile (1,760 feet) offshore, submerged in around 15 feet of water, Police Chief Charlie Thorpe said
Pictured: A search and rescue helicopter is seen flying off the coast of Florida
Pictured: A Piper Cherokee plane, similar to the one being flown by Christian Kath (file photo)
After completing high school in Australia, Christian worked as an operating manager for local dairy and honey producers. Misty is from Fiji and moved to Australia where she studied at the University of Queensland.
Five years ago, the family moved to Chicago, and then onto Florida.
‘It’s tragic. It’s a family. Those are the things that anybody can get choked up on,’ local resident Charlie Poch told Fox13 Tampa Bay.
The cause of the crash is yet to be determined.
The wreck was lifted out of the water and sent to Jacksonville where it will be examined as part of the ongoing investigation, being carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The U.S. Coast Guard, the Sarasota Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office, are assisting in the on-going investigation.
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