Crash wreckage contained human remains

PORT RICHEY, Fla., July 9 (UPI) -- Human remains have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close said the remains, which had yet to be identified, were found on pieces of the wreckage in the gulf about 20 miles west of Port Richey, Fla., The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Thursday.

The twin-engine Cessna 42, which was carrying five people, is thought to have crashed Wednesday. The cause was not immediately determined.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the crash would be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Quality Powder Coating of Carrollton, Texas, said company President Roland Schurrer was aboard, along with marketing representative and pilot Steve Barrows. The company said two others among those on the plane were likely customers.

CNN said the small airplane had been traveling from McKinney, Texas, bound for Florida's Tampa International Airport when the crash occurred.