GULF SHORES, Alabama -- Authorities searched all day today for a stolen plane that is believed to have crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee took off from Jack Edwards Airport at 7:05 a.m. today, and the pilot had not been authorized to fly the plane, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown.
The man flying the plane, who was a licensed pilot, had been scheduled for a flight lesson but left without his instructor, according to the airport's manager Russ Kilgore.
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Police Lt. Bill Cowan said.
The plane was registered with Gulf Air Charter Inc., which is based at Jack Edwards, according to Brown. The pilot, who has not been in communication with the FAA since takeoff, was believed to be the only person aboard the aircraft, Brown said.
The plane had a full load of fuel that could last about 4.5 hours of flight time or 460 miles.