Small Commuter Plane Headed To Ohio State Vanishes Over Lake Erie

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a plane that took off from a small Ohio airport on the shores of Lake Erie.

According to Flightaware.com, the Cessna Citation 525 left shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday from Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland. The aircraft had landed there Thursday evening after a brief flight from Ohio State University in Columbus and was heading back to the school. It was due to land very early Friday.

A Coast Guard official told CBS News his agency was called after the airport’s air traffic control lost contact with the plane. The official said the controllers think it may have crashed into Lake Erie.

CBS Columbus affiliate WBNS-TV says the plane disappeared from radar two miles over the lake.

The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter, a cargo plane, and a cutter to assist in the search, WBNS says. A cutter is a Coast Guard ship that can get through ice.

CBS Cleveland affiliate WOIO-TV reports a Canadian plane is also involved in the search.

Later, rough seas forced the cutter to leave, WOIO says. The water temperature was 39 degrees.

Rescue teams were dealing with 12 to 15 foot seas, winds in the 30 knot range and some snow showers, according to WBNS.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were on board, but WBNS says investigators believe the number was six.

Flightaware.com says the Cessna is a twin engine jet that seats 11.

According to Flightaware.com, the plane is owned by Maverick Air LLC in Columbus and registered as a standard commuter plane.

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