Small plane crashed in Gulf of Mexico; as many as three passengers missing
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Posted 7:39AM on Monday, February 11, 2002
CEDAR KEY, Fla. - A small plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after takeoff and rescue divers searched for as many as three missing passengers. One victim was recovered. <br>
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Divers suspended the search early Monday due to fatigue and planned to resume at noon, said Quartermaster First Class Stephanie Walker of the U.S. Coast Guard. <br>
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A man standing on his dock saw the single-engine fixed-wing plane go down less than a mile from the shore, said Walker. <br>
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The plane departed from Cedar Key Airport, about 60 miles southwest of Gainesville, at 8 p.m. EST Sunday in clear weather, Walker said. <br>
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Witnesses told sheriff's deputies they heard a plane hitting the water followed by screams. Boaters saw parts of the submerged plane in the Gulf of Mexico about a half mile from the end of the runway, said Levy County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Chuck Bastak. <br>
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