Plane Had Gone Down December 20th With Two People On Board

A plane that went down in the Atlantic Ocean off the northeast Florida coast December 20th has been recovered by local authorities.

The wreckage of the PA-46 Malibu located by side-scan sonar in about 40 feet of water off Little Talbot Island just north of Jacksonville. It was floated to the surface by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office divers and towed to a Coast Guard station on the St. Johns River Wednesday. Two bodies were found in the wreckage of the airplane.

Television station WJXT reported at the time of the accident that Peter Renzulli, 51, of Bridgewater, and his 18-year-old son Daniel were traveling from Orlando to New Jersey where they lived when the accident occurred in December. Peter Renzulli had just completed 30 hours of advanced instruction in the Malibu, and was returning home. The Coast Guard and other agencies conducted a search for the aircraft, but it was suspended after about 56 hours in which some 1,400 square miles were searched.

Aviation attorney Ed Booth told WJXT this week that he believes Renzulli disregarded a forecast of bad weather on his route of flight, and had limited experience in the airplane. Booth said the return flight from Orlando to New Jersey was reportedly his first flight without an instructor on board.

The NTSB has not yet released a preliminary report on the accident, in part due to the partial government shutdown.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report