A&E Star's Sister Presumed Dead After Florida Plane Crash, Search Suspended for Couple Missing at Sea

The United States Coast Guard has suspended a search for a couple believed to be involved in an airplane crash near the Florida Keys.

One of the victims presumed dead is believed to beFlip Wars: Buying Blindstar Lana Tufo’s sister, Alexandra Tufo. Alexandra’s boyfriend Thomas “Tommy” Campana is said to have been the pilot.

“I cry in the morning and at night, and during the day I’m kinda just numb,” the A&E reality star toldWSVNon Wednesday.

OnFacebook, Lana shared a photo of herself hugging her sister alongside the caption, “I don’t want to live on this planet without you 🤍.”

The search, which lasted around 72 hours and involved six agencies, was suspended on Thursday, the same day divers from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office found two pieces of a plane in the ocean, according to aCoast Guard news releasepublished Friday.

The agency said MSCO divers were about to identify the tail number of the reported missing aircraft “on the ocean floor in the search area.”

MSCO spokesman Adam Linhardt said their dive crew was asked earlier this week to search the area where a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew discovered an oil slick in the water, according toThe Miami Herald.

Capt. David Dipre of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that MSCO divers had located a portion of the plane about 17 miles south of the Lower Keys, per the newspaper.

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The Vans RV-12 single-engine plane originally left Palm Beach County airport for Key West on Sunday.

“Having located the debris, the search and rescue has now become a recovery effort for all agencies involved,” Dipre said in a Friday statement, theHeraldreported.

Cmdr. Lindsey Seniuk, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for Coast Guard District Seven, extended condolences to the victims' families in Friday’s news release.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Alexandra Tufo and Thomas Campana,” Seniuk said. “This was a challenging case and it made the decision to suspend that much harder after our partners found the debris field.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, Dipre said. The captain noted that Florida Fish and Wildlife “will work to coordinate efforts and provide all assistance needed to the NTSB.”

source: people.com