Beechcraft  N444Z

   On April 2, 1979, Jim Catron was seen drinking a cup of coffee with an unidentified person at Fort Lauderdale airport’s coffee shop. Thirty minutes later, he took off in his twin Beech E18s, N444Z.

     Catron had told friends he would be heading to Cat Island. He was
   familiar with the route. He had flown there only the week previous. He
       planned to stay a couple of days before returning.

             The route to Cat Island is well traveled. Yet no peep was heard
                 from Catron after departure. The weather was excellent and
                 Catron was well qualified. He never arrived at Cat Island,
                     and his fate remains unknown today.

                 The Coast Guard was not informed of his non arrival until
                 April 15, long enough for a busy ocean to disperse debris.
                   His disappearance remains unexplained. He should have
                 been able to send an SOS. Either he had no idea what
                   was happening, or it happened too fast to do anything
                     about it.