MIAMI — Authorities released the identity Friday of a Florida man who they say fell out of a private plane, and searchers continued looking for his body in the Atlantic Ocean near Miami.
Miami-Dade Police Department spokesman Javier Baez identified the victim as Gerardo Nales, 42, of Key Biscayne, an island not far from where the pilot said Nales fell into the water.
The pilot of the Piper PA 46 called for help Thursday afternoon, radioing ‘‘mayday, mayday, mayday” and telling an air traffic controller that a door was open and a passenger had fallen from the plane. The aircraft had just taken off.
Baez said there were only two people on board.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane was flying at about 2,000 feet, some 8 miles southeast of Tamiami Executive Airport.
Baez said investigators have no evidence of foul play.
According to a report on the website Live ATC.Net, the pilot calmly radioed the air traffic controller. LiveATC.Net provides live air traffic-control broadcasts from control towers and radar facilities around the world.
‘‘I have a door ajar and a passenger that fell down. I’m 6 miles from Tamiami,” the pilot said.
‘‘You said you’ve got a passenger that fell out of your plane?’’ the air traffic controller responds.
‘‘That’s correct, sir,’’ the pilot said. ‘‘He opened the back door and he just fell out the plane.”