CLEVELAND, OH (WCMH/AP) — Cleveland officials say they have found the cockpit recorder and part of the tail of a plane that disappeared last week over Lake Erie with six people on board.
The recovery efforts will resume Monday.
Friday’s dive was completed early in the evening. Officials said that several large pieces of debris were discovered, including a seat from the passengers’ compartment that includes possible human remains.
The families of passengers onboard the Cessna 525 Citation that went missing after taking off from Burke Lakefront Airport last Thursday released the following statements through the City of Cleveland
We, The Fleming and Armeni families, continue to be touched by the tremendous outpouring of support and are incredibly appreciative of all the individuals who have aided in the search and recovery efforts to date. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the heroic efforts and countless hours exerted by the wonderful people at the numerous agencies involved. The City of Cleveland, and all constituencies involved with the rescue and recovery, have shown unbelievable resolve and we applaud everyone for their unwavering commitment to bringing our loved ones home. We extend our deep appreciation for the concern, kindness, and privacy shown by so many during this most difficult time.
The Casey family greatly appreciates the dedicated efforts of the rescue and recovery teams, and we are especially thankful for the outpouring of support thoughts and prayers from family, friends and the community.
Suzie, as she was called, truly valued family. Her main pride and joy was her role as a wife, mother, daughter and sister. She spent every waking moment pursuing the health and wellness of her children, Andrew and Jack and her husband, John. She cherished the time she was able to spend with the four of them together and even quiet times at home. The Armeni siblings’ fondest memories with Sue were their Christmas Eve Italian traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes – where they would get together cooking as a family. This tradition, started by their father, continues each year.
Friday marked the 8th day since the Columbus-bound Cessna 525 Citation vanished from radar shortly after takeoff Thursday night from Burke Lakefront Airport.
Divers guided by an underwater locator beacon detector began searching the bottom of Lake Erie Friday morning in extremely cold weather. Officials say they’ve also found some debris consistent with the missing plane.
The Columbus-bound Cessna 525 Citation, piloted by John T. Fleming, president of a Columbus beverage distribution company, disappeared from radar over the lake on Dec. 29. On the plane also were Fleming’s wife, Suzanne Fleming, their teenage sons, Jack and Andrew, and two neighbors, Brian Casey and his 19-year-old daughter, Megan Casey, a freshman nursing student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Caseys were residents of Powell, Ohio.
All six were returning to Columbus after attending a Cleveland Cavaliers game in downtown Cleveland.
Cleveland officials said the search team has been working with surveyors and engineers to build simulations and 3D models to determine the best areas to search based on data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB, the FBI and other agencies.
City of Cleveland officials said on their Facebook page, “divers are down near 80 feet in depth but visibility in Lake Erie is maybe 2 – 3 inches, meaning they have feel around the bottom of the lake for the aircraft. Saying this makes for a slow deliberate process that could take many hours to search even this football field-sized area.”
The city is not allowing flights over the crash scene, but NBC4 can see the recovery boat about a mile out from the Voinovich Park Pier which juts out into Lake Erie behind the Rock and Roll Museum.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.