Fellow Central Texas pilot finishes rescue dog mission for missing pilot
The Coast Guard continues their search for a missing pilot who was designated to land in Georgetown Wednesday. Family and friends of Bill Kinsinger said he was en route to pick up a rescue dog from Pilots N Paws when he didn’t show.
The U.S Coast Guard last detected his plane north of the Yucatan Peninsula.
The Eighth Coast Guard in New Orleans reported seeing a person unresponsive in a private aircraft, “likely due to hypoxia.”
They said the person was slouched over and appeared unconscious.
The foster parent of the dog Dawn Coleman said Kissinger was originally scheduled to pick up the dog Friday when he decided to come early. The dog, a 77 lb, 110-year-old husky named Masmuru has suffered from heart worms and the inability to use his back legs.
Kissinger was going to pick Masmuru up and take him to Oklahoma to see a vet tech before the dog went to its final destination in Las Vegas. "I had received a call that they had lost contacts in the gulf and everyone just was crying and so upset it was just heartbreaking," Coleman said.
The news spread across animal rescue groups throughout the state.
Justin Blackburn a volunteer pilot for Pilots N paws said the pilot community is tight knit community. He met Kinsinger on the tarmac when they were transporting dogs. "He was super funny, vicarious,” Blackburn said.
“I just remember him being really happy and fun to talk to he was a good guy."
He alongside one other pilot volunteered to finish Kinsinger’s mission Thursday and transported Masmuru to Oklahoma. "We needed to do it especially under the circumstances you know and bills on her memory we don't know what happened we want to do this remember him and get the dog to safe place,” said Blackburn.
As of Thursday, no word from the U.S Coast Guard on the search just that they were coordinating with the Mexican Navy and SEMAR in finding Kinsinger’s aircraft.