Plane And Pilot Missing After Takeoff From Marion County, USA

The Florida Wing of Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is still searching for an airplane that failed to arrive at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport on Saturday.

Pilot Theodore (Ted) Weiss flew from Zephyrhills to Marion County Airport in Dunnellon on Saturday morning.

He departed that afternoon, bound for Zephyrhills, but never reached his destination. He was reported missing on Monday.

Officials said the plane possibly went down in the Withlacoochee State Forest.

Civil Air Patrol aircraft and ground resources are searching for the pilot and aircraft in several targeted areas and at airports between Marion and Hillsborough counties.

The Marion and Citrus County sheriff’s offices are also engaged in search operations. The search area is about 250 square miles.

Patricia Greenshields and her husband Richard live across the street from Weiss in Zephyrhills. She said he’s an airplane enthusiast from New York who lives there by himself half the year.

“We’d see him flying around up here when he’d take a plane up,” said Greenshields.

Weiss’ girlfriend in New York said family and friends have been texting and calling him with no response. She said all they can do now is pray.

Mr. Weiss was flying a Sonex experimental single-engine airplane, white in color with green and black stripes and “N229P” printed on the tail section.

Anyone with information regarding the location of the aircraft or pilot is asked to contact their local sheriff’s office.