There was still no sighting Tuesday afternoon of an airplane stolen from Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores on Monday morning.

"There's really nothing new," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough. "The search continues. There are just a couple ofdifferent aerial assets that are searching, and the search area has been expanded a little bit. Other than that there's still no sight of the aircraft or any debris."

Colclough is with Coast Guard External Affairs based out of New Orleans where the command center for the search is located.

Involved in the search are a U.S. Air Force HC-130 aircraft and crew from Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla.; an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile; and a Coast Guard Cutter Pompano and crew, an 87-foot cutter homeported in Gulfport, Miss.

Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District command center received a call from the Federal Aviation Administration in Houston, Monday, that the airport in Gulf Shores reported the incident shortly after 7 a.m. At approximately 11 a.m. FAA Houston reported that the aircraft descended 600 feet in three minutes and then lost radar contact.

The Coast Guard is currently searching a 3,400 square-mile area in the vicinity southeast of Venice, La.

 According to Laura Brown of the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot was not authorized to take off in the aircraft and the flight school has reported it stolen.

"The pilot was the only person onboard the aircraft," Brown said. "The pilot was not in contact with FAA air traffic control after take off."

The aircraft had a full load of fuel which would have lasted for approximately 4.5 hours of flight or a range of approximately 460 miles, Brown said. It was last seen about 100 nautical miles southeast of New Orleans over the Gulf of Mexico.

"The FAA has been in constant communication with NORAD and other federal agencies about the incident," Brown said.