Emergency search for missing man in plane crash will continue until sundown, official says

Search efforts for a missing Spanish man in the waters off Newfoundland will continue until sunset Wednesday, according to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax.

The search began on Tuesday when an Air Tractor AT-802 crashed 240 kilometres east of St. John's at around 8:40 a.m that morning. Wednesday's search involves the Canadian Coast Guard, a Hercules aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter, according to JRCC Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey.

"The intent is to carry on with search until sundown tonight. At that time, all assets involved in the search are going to return to base and the case is going to be turned over to the RCMP as a missing persons [investigation]," Hickey told CBC News Wednesday afternoon.

He added the decision to hand the investigation to police is based on survivability modelling of the crash.

"Normally it's policy by JRCC to go well past what would be expected for someone to survive in this scenario," Hickey said. "When they're confident that they've certainly been out there searching well past the chance that the person would survive, then it's passed on."

This missing man is from Spain, Hickey said, and was piloting the plane he recently purchased from the United States. The plane was destined for the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal.

"He was flying that aircraft up the eastern seaboard. The intent was for the last touch point in North America to be St. John's, and then they were going to make the hop across the Atlantic," Hickey said.

Searchers found an oil slick on the water near the crash site Tuesday. Hickey said it's too early to tell if it — or the crash — was caused by a mechanical issue with the plane.

Search conditions had improved on Wednesday, he added.

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