Coastguard senior coastal officer Adam Bradbury said this morning: “At the moment in time we’re waiting for a lull in the weather.
“The weather has closed in and it’s not safe for anything to go out to sea.
“The Coastguard as been out this morning and checked on the tide line.
“We are urging the public not to touch anything they find and to report it to the Coastguard.
“We’re hoping on Sunday there’s going to be a lull in the weather and sonar and other equipment can be used to locate the crash.”
The pilot was named yesterday as businessman Ian Stirling, 73, of Douglas on the Isle of Man.
He was the pilot of a single engine Rockwell Commander flying from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport and was the only person on board.
Mr. Stirling, who is understood to have split his time between the Isle of Man and Scotland, is currently missing.
A spokesman for Mr. Stirling’s family said: “Ian was an experienced pilot who had flown this route many times. We are obviously in shock at what has happened and hoping against hope that he may be found alive.
“We’d like to thank everyone for their love and support at this difficult time and we would ask to be left alone to come to terms with what has happened.”
Contact was lost with the aircraft at shortly after 9am on Thursday, when the plane was about three miles off the Blackpool Coast over the Irish Sea.
An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is now under way.
Fuel and debris have been found in the search for a plane that went missing off the coast of Blackpool this morning.
The discovery was made by rescue crews scouring a 45 square mile area of the Irish Sea, The Gazette understands.
The debris was collected by one of several RNLI boats and was taken back to shore for examination as the search came to an end for the evening.
Senior coastal operations officer for the UK Coastguard service, Adam Bradbury, said: "All I can say is there have been some objects recovered but we don't know where they are from yet. It's too early."
The light aircraft was on its way to Blackpool Airport from the Isle of Man when it lost contact with air traffic controllers and vanished from radar shortly after 9am.
The pilot was the only person on board.
Duty controller Matthew Mace added: "We have used all the means and assets available to search an extensive area off the Blackpool coast. We have suspended today's search due to failing light and we will review overnight what searches will be conducted tomorrow."
An earlier search along the coastline found no sign of the downed aircraft, sparking fears the plane had 'ditched' into the sea in poor weather conditions.
The multi-agency response included volunteer RNLI crews from St Annes, Blackpool, Fleetwood, and Southport, two search and rescue helicopters, including one from Wales, and an on-shore team of experts.
The Lancashire Fire and Rescue service and police were also involved in a search of sand dunes close to Blackpool Airport at Starr Gate.
Read more: http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
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