The Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard are looking for a small plane they believe may have gone down over Lake Erie.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Joel Altman says air traffic control notified the Coast Guard at 11:30pm on Thursday by air traffic control that the Cessna Citation 525 disappeared shortly after takeoff from Burke Landfront Airport in downtown Cleveland.
There were six people on board, three adults and three children, headed for Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio. CNN reports they were at a Cleveland Cavaliers game earlier in the evening.
Altman says air traffic control told Coast Guard officials the plane was about two miles out over the lake when it dropped off the radar. He couldn't comment on conditions at the time of takeoff but hopes the weather over the lake improves during today's search.
"The Coast Guard has assets in the search effort. We have an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Station Detroit and an aircrew from Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton Ontario with a C-130 fixed airplane," says Altman detailing the search effort. "We also have the Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay."
Seas in the area are 12-15 ft with winds around 30 knots, and the depth of the water is about 50 ft.