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Coast Guard calls off search for 87-year-old pilot after plane disappears

Brendan Spratt flying Lancair 320 when it disappeared off South Florida coast
Brendan Spratt, pilot disappears off coast of Boca Raton
Posted at 1:36 PM, Mar 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-02 14:16:29-05

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a pilot whose small plane disappeared off the coast of South Florida.

A news release from the Coast Guard said the search for Brenden Spratt was suspended Monday night "after exhausting all leads."

The Coast Guard said Brendan Spratt, 87, was flying the single-engine Lancair 320 when it disappeared Friday about 15 miles southeast of Boca Raton.

MORE: Body of pilot found after small plane crashes near Boynton Beach Inlet

Spratt's son told the Coast Guard that his father was flying from Spruce Creek Airport to Boca Raton.

After searching almost 16,000 square miles since Friday, the Coast Guard called off the search.

"The decision to suspend a case is never an easy one," Lt. Shawn Antonelli, a command duty officer for the Coast Guard, said in a statement. "Our greatest sympathies go out to the Spratt family during this time."

Rescue crews did not find any debris.