Report: Small Plane That Crashed On LI Had No Fuel In Tank

PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The National Transportation Board has released a preliminary report on the small airplane that crashed off the shore of Suffolk County last month.

The report reveals that the plane had no fuel when it went down in Setauket Harbor on Feb. 20, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. According to the report, the fuel system showed the piper had no evidence of fuel and records indicated the plane had been operating for over five hours since it had last been refueled.

The report did not indicate whether the lack of fuel contributed to the cause of the crash.

Four people were on board the Piper PA 28 aircraft as part of a birthday celebration when it made a forced landing less than one mile offshore. The four were heading back to Long Island's Republic Airport in Farmingdale from Massachusetts.

Three people -- including student pilot Austricio Ramirez, 25, and instructor pilot Nelson Gomez, 36, were rescued from the crash. A fourth man, Gerson Salmon-Negron, 23, of Queens, has not been found.  

The Coast Guard initially searched for Salmon-Negron for around 18 hours, covering more than 90 square miles, before calling the search off.

A week later, family and friends of Salmon-Negron combed the area around the harbor on foot, looking for clues that could lead them to the man's body.

About 40 family friends and fraternity members were out walking in the chilly weather for the hours-long search. Members of the Suffolk County Police Department also joined in for assistance.

Negron-Salmon's body remains missing, and is presumed dead, Hall reported.

The NTSB said determining the cause of the crash could take up to another year.