Authorities search for missing plane in West Virginia
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. -- Authorities say they located a small plane that went off the radar while flying over West Virginia and that there are no survivors, according to CBS affiliate WDTV.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says two people were on board the Cirrus SR20 when it went missing Tuesday. The agency hasn't identified the passengers or the owners of the plane, but says the plane is presumed to have crashed.
WDTV writes that the plane was found in a mountainous area near Jacksonburg, West Virginia, and was being guarded by local authorities.
The FAA says the plane went off the radar between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at North Central Regional Airport in Clarksburg. The FAA notified law enforcement officials in northwest West Virginia on Wednesday morning.
Officials suspended the search Wednesday night because of the difficulty the area poses, WDTV reports.
"After dark, you might as well, it's really hard. It's such a rural area. The canopy, the growth is crazy thick. It's just way hard. It's such a broad area to search and to search at night, is pretty much impossible," Connie Thomaschek, the assistant chief of Harrison County 911, said.
The plane took off from Georgetown, Delaware, on Tuesday. It was destined for Fleming-Mason Airport in Flemingsburg, Kentucky.
WDTV reports that a husband and wife from Carterville, Illinois, were likely aboard the plane and that it was equipped with a parachute type of device that could have been used in an emergency type of event.