Christian Kath still missing after plane crash off Venice, Florida with his wife and daughter aboard
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The girl will grow up without her parents and her 12-year-old older sister after her plane crashed into the sea while she was at a friend’s sleepover, killing them all instantly.
- Christian Kath, 43, was piloting a small plane that crashed off the Florida coast
- He is still missing as his wife Misty, 43, and daughter Lilly, 12, have sadly passed away.
- Mr. Kath had recently completed training for his private pilot’s license.
- The family is originally from Australia and moved to the US five years ago.
An Australian man is missing and his wife and daughter have tragically died after their small plane crashed into the water off the coast of Florida in the United States.
Christian Kath, 43, originally from Gympie in Queensland, was piloting the Piper Cherokee plane with his 43-year-old wife Misty, originally from Fiji, and their 12-year-old daughter Lilly in the passenger seats.
The couple had moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, a few years ago, where their youngest daughter and only son, Harper, were sleeping at a friend’s house when the plane crashed.
Kath shared a social media post in March of this year celebrating her first solo flight saying she was “halfway through” her private pilot’s license after taking flying lessons in December 2021.
Mr. and Mrs. Kath and their daughters Lilly (right) and Harper (center) had moved to the United States.
The Venice Police Department said the search for Mr. Kath is ongoing and has not hinted at a cause of the crash after the plane crashed off the Florida coast (pictured)
‘Thank you for putting up with my morning lessons and late night studying Misty Kath; It will all be worth it when we can fly to the Keys for a weekend with Lily and Harper soon,” she wrote.
‘Feel lucky to live and learn to fly in such a beautiful part of the world!’
The family chartered the plane in St. Petersburg and took a short trip south to nearby Venice for dinner, only to be told they would be back when the plane crashed into the water off Venice Beach.
Local police said Ms Kath’s body was found a few kilometers from the partially submerged wreck, while Lilly was found inside the plane.
Emergency crews from Venice and Sarasota County are still searching for Mr. Kath.
After completing secondary school in Gympie, Mr. Kath moved to nearby Dagun, where he worked as an operations manager for local milk and honey producers.
Mr. and Mrs. Kath (pictured) lived in Queensland before moving to Chicago and then St. Petersburg, Florida.
Mr. Kath shared a photo with his daughters on Harpers’ first day of school in 2018 (pictured)
Ms Kath is from Fiji and moved to Australia where she studied at the University of Queensland.
Five years ago, the family moved to Chicago in the United States, and then to Florida.
Authorities were alerted by the FAA, who reported that a single-engine plane took off from Venice Municipal Airport around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, but did not return to its home airport.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
It’s tragic. it’s a family. Those are the things that anyone can choke on,” local resident Charlie Poch told Fox13 Tampa Bay.
The wreck was pulled from the water and shipped to Jacksonville, where it will be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
Mr. Kath began training for his private pilot license in December 2021.