The family from Gympie had been living in Florida for five years before a single-engine plane piloted by 42-year-old Christian Kath, crashed into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday.

The bodies of his wife Misty, 43, and their 12-year-old daughter Lily have been recovered, while Kath is missing, presumed dead.

The family were flying from St Petersburg with plans to have dinner in Venice but crashed shortly after take-off.

Caleb McGuire, a friend and former colleague of Kath, described him as a charismatic person who was a natural leader and devoted to his family.

“He was such a proud Australian man,” McGuire told 2GB radio on Thursday.

The family had planned to return to Australia before Christmas.

“He wanted to come back and make sure his kids were brought up as Australians.

“Chris was so proud of his two girls.”

Arrangements are underway for the surviving daughter to return to be cared for by her grandparents in Queensland, McGuire said.

Kath got his pilot’s licence in March and celebrated his first solo flight on social media.

“Felt so proud to finally achieve something I’ve been wanting to do since I was 8 years old,” he wrote on Facebook.

“It will all feel worthwhile when we can fly to the Keys for a weekend away,” he said.

Florida’s Venice Police Chief Charlie Thorpe told reporters Misty Kath’s body was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, while Lily was later found in the wreckage of the plane.

The cause of the plane crash remains unclear.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been contacted for comment.