Central California police believe missing man stole airplane

Police investigating a small plane that was stolen out of a Central California airport and vanished from radar last month say they believe the thief is a missing man who was a member of a local flying club.

Watsonville police identified 64-year-old Huga Mar as the suspect, KGO-TV reported. Police believe Mar crashed the plane.

Mar’s family has reported that he’s been missing since July 1.

Mar has no history with police. He was a licensed private pilot and a member of the Santa Cruz Flying Club, which owned the stolen plane, a single-engine Cessna. The club operates out of the Watsonville Municipal Airport, about 20 miles from Santa Cruz.

The plane was reported stolen from the airport on June 27, the day after video footage shows the airplane taxiing toward the runway. The police do not have surveillance of Mar entering the plane and taking off.

Detectives found Mar’s abandoned car at an airport parking lot used by pilots.

Federal investigators said the plane disappeared from radar over the Pacific Ocean, about 3 miles from the Santa Cruz coastline. The U.S. Coast Guard hasn’t found any wreckage or human remains.

Mar was authorized to enter the airport and was a member in good standing who could have made a reservation to fly the aircraft, the club said on its website. But he didn’t make a reservation, per club protocol, and ignored Federal Aviation Administration protocol to make radio calls at the time of departure.

The club said Mar’s failure to follow procedures appears suspicious, but it declined to speculate on his mental state.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the deceased,” the club said.