UPDATE | No sign yet of missing plane licensed to Superior Beverage chief

CLEVELAND — U.S. Coast Guard crews are continuing to search Lake Erie for a plane carrying six people that disappeared shortly after takeoff from a small Cleveland airport along the shore.

The Columbus-bound Cessna Citation 525 departed Burke Lakefront Airport late Thursday with Superior Beverage CEO John T. Fleming, of Dublin, Ohio, his wife, Suzanne, and their two sons on board along with two others.

Superior Beverage Co. issued a statement on the missing Boardman natives:

“We have learned that our valued colleague and leader John T. Fleming, president and chief executive officer of Superior Beverage Group, his wife Sue, sons Jack and Andrew, and two close friends were involved in an aircraft accident near Cleveland Thursday night,” said Joseph R. McHenry, executive vice president of Superior Beverage Group. “While search and rescue operations are under way, we are focusing our efforts on supporting the families involved. We are working closely with the proper authorities conducting the investigation. We appreciate the efforts of the first responders on the scene. As we all await the results of the search and rescue efforts, our hearts are with John, his wife, their sons, and close friends on board, as well as with their loved ones and everyone in the Superior Beverage family. This is a difficult day for us, and we appreciate the concern and thoughtfulness extended by so many.”

Fleming and his wife were 1989 Boardman High School graduates.

Superior Beverage Co. is a Youngstown-born company that was formed by Marion Antonucci in 1922. It is now headquartered in Columbus.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Fleming's father, John W. Fleming, said his son piloted the plane.

Searchers had found no sign of any debris or the people aboard the plane, said. Coast Guard official James Cox. Also said no emergency beacon had been detected. The Coast Guard says the search will be suspended at 7:30 p.m. Friday nightuntil morning.

The waters in the search area are about 50 feet deep, the Coast Guard said.

The plane left the airport at 10:50 p.m., a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The Coast Guard has said it was notified about the missing plane by air traffic control around 11:30 p.m.

Superior Beverage Group is a privately held business with roots dating back to 1922 when Marion N. Antonucci formed the Superior Wholesale Grocery Company in Youngstown, according to the company's website.

Staff and wire reports