Man, woman from Texas killed in plane crash off Florida

Destin, Fla. — A man and woman from Texas were killed when a small plane they were in crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle, officials said Friday.

Pilot James Shumbert, 67, and passenger Sheryl Roe, 60, both of Alvin, Texas, are believed to have been the only people on board the Piper Archer aircraft. The plane was registered to Electrical Training, a company based in Alvin, Texas, according to a news release from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Federal Aviation Administration investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board were working to determine the cause of the Thursday night crash, according to the news release.

The plane was reported overdue by the Destin airport Thursday evening. Dispatchers later received a 911 call from a man who reported seeing a small plane go down near Henderson Beach, the sheriff’s office said.

Search crews found the body of the woman in the water around 9 p.m. and the body of the man about 45 minutes later, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities have not released their names or hometowns.

Searchers also recovered personal items and aircraft debris from the water and on the beach, the officials said.