“Ending a search is a difficult decision that we put the upmost thought and consideration into.”

Staff report

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard announced Monday night it has ended the search for a missing pilot and Cirrus aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard searched 17,458 nautical square miles for approximately 79 hours.

Missing is Bill Kinsinger, 55, of Oklahoma City.

“Ending a search is a difficult decision that we put the upmost thought and consideration into,” said Capt. David Cooper, chief of incident management, Eighth Coast Guard District. “Dr. Kinsinger was a well loved man and our hearts go out to everyone impacted during this tragic time.”

Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District command center in New Orleans received a report Jan. 3 from the North American Aerospace Defense Command that one person aboard a privately owned Cirrus was unresponsive likely due to hypoxia. The pilot was leaving from Oklahoma City and was headed to Georgetown, Texas.

Involved in search were Coast Guard aircrews from:

—Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas

—Air Station Clearwater, Florida

—Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina

—Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama