A search team led by the U.S. Coast Guard found a portion of the wreckage believed to be that of a twin-engine aircraft that went down early Saturday in the waters southeast of Vieques.
The aircraft, owned by M&N Aviation in Puerto Rico, was on a mail run from San Juan to St. Croix when it literally fell out of the sky, a USCG spokesman said late Saturday.
Parts of the cockpit, landing gear and the fuselage have been located about 10 miles north of Vieques. The spokesman said the plane went down southeast of Vieques but strong currents and wind pushed the debris to the north of the island, where it was located.
The search continued through sundown Sunday in the hope of finding the pilot, Edwin Quinonez, the only person on board the aircraft. Those hopes diminished as Sunday night approached.
The plane left San Juan around 4 a.m. but was reported missing an hour later. National Transportation Safety Board members are expected to begin examining the recovered wreckage Monday to determine what caused the Cessna 402 to nose-dive into the ocean at a high rate of speed. As the safety board probe begins, more wreckage is expected to be recovered from the ocean floor.
The search was launched at sunrise Saturday and involved several airplanes, helicopters, two Coast Guard cutters and other boats.
