PORT MANSFIELD, TEXAS -- Update: The Willacy County Sheriff's department told Pronews 7 the body of Robert James 'Jim' Robinett has been pulled from gulf cost waters. Pronews 7 believes that Robinett is from Sunray. Pronews 7 has unconfirmed reports that the pilot was Harvey Kinikin of Amarillo.
Check back for further details.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers are reporting that they are finding pieces of a small airplane that went off the radar last night near Port Mansfield.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Lynn Lunsford tells Pronews Seven that a Piper Twin Comanche plane headed toward the Port Mansfield area went missing Thursday night.
Pronews Seven has confirmed that the plane left from Tradewind Airport in Amarillo last night, but FAA officials said it went off radar around the Port Mansfield area between 10:30 and 11:00pm last night.
According to flightaware.com, the plane is registered to a James M. Scroggin from Arkansas.
Lunsford said the Coast Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have found parts of a plane, a duffle bag and paperwork in Laguna Madre, but have not yet confirmed that it belongs to the missing plane.
It is unknown how many people were on board the missing plane.
