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US plane carrying six people goes missing Search for missing US plane with six on board called off
(about 11 hours later)
A plane with three adults and three children is still missing, 12 hours after leaving a Cleveland airport. The US coastguard says it has called off a search for a plane carrying three adults and three children that went missing after leaving Cleveland.
The search area is approximately two miles from the Burke Lakefront airport inside Lake Erie. The plane was being piloted by the CEO of a drinks distribution company and was carrying his wife, two sons and a neighbour and the neighbour's daughter.
Ships from nearby Detroit and a C-130 plane from Canada are assisting in the search. It suddenly lost altitude over Lake Erie about 3km (two miles) from the Burke Lakefront airport.
The plane is believed to have gone down about two miles (three kilometres) off shore of Lake Erie, one of the US Great Lakes. Recovery efforts would now begin, the coastguard said.
The Coast Guard in Cleveland first received reports at 23:30 local time from flight control, alerting them to the missing plane shortly after take-off on Thursday night. Coast Guard Captain Michael Mullen said he extended his condolences to those who had lost loved ones.
Airport officials reported that they had "lost communications and radio contact" with a Cessna Citation 525 aircraft, Coast Guard official Michael Mullen told reporters on Friday. "The decision to suspend a search is never easy,'' he said.
The initial search area is 16 by eight nautical miles, but may expand as officials assess weather and wind conditions that could have affected debris drift, he added. Federal aviation officials said the plane was travelling to Ohio State University in Columbus where it is based, after carrying six people to Cleveland to watch an NBA basketball game.
"We're actively searching for people out there or any signs of any survivors... we're still searching," said Mr Mullen. John Fleming, the chief executive of Superior Beverage Group, was flying the plane.
According to federal aviation officials, it was travelling to the Ohio State University in Columbus where it is based, after carrying six people to Cleveland to watch an NBA basketball game. Airport officials reported that they had "lost communications and radio contact" with a Cessna Citation 525 aircraft shortly after take off at 22:50 local time (03:50 GMT) on Thursday evening.
A light snow was falling as the plane took off, but officials stressed that those are not abnormal conditions to fly in. The overnight search was hindered by snow squalls, high seas and darkness, Captain Mullen said.
The plane is registered to Maverick Air and is operated by Superior Beverage Group. Authorities detected "faint hints" but no strong pulse from an emergency locating transmitter, a beacon that could help searchers find the plane, he said.
Searchers have received several hits from the plane's emergency locating transmitter, also known as the black box, but so far have not received a steady signal which would aid in the search.
Three children and three adults were on board the plane, which can carry up to 11 people.
Officials have not released the names of those on board, and are now working to notify their families.