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Possible human remains found in plane passenger seat
CLEVELAND
A broadcast report says a passenger seat of the Cessna plane that went missing over Lake Erie more than a week ago has been found containing possible human remains.
The report came from television station WKYC out of Cleveland. At 7 p.m. Friday, the Cleveland mayor’s office of communications released a statement that the medical examiner had collected debris for review and analysis to determine whether human remains had been found.
Search-and-recovery operations will be suspended today and Sunday due to weather and water conditions. Recovery operations will resume Monday.
Earlier Friday, authorities overseeing the search-and-recovery operation for the plane carrying the John T. Fleming family and friends confirmed that crews recovered “significant” pieces of the wreckage.
Fred Szabo, the city’s interim director of port control, said at an earlier afternoon news conference that divers had recovered the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and portions of the tail section.
The announcement followed hours of conflicting reports that circulated among Cleveland media outlets. One TV station reported early in the day that “wreckage” had been found, with the city quickly tweeting: “Recovery ops: INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT FOUND AN INTACT FUSELAGE. DIVERS ARE IN WATER.”
Authorities reiterated later in the day the Cessna 525 Citation’s fuselage, or the main body of the aircraft, had not been found.
An official for the National Transportation Safety Board said crews will continue the search-and-recovery process, and only after that operation concludes will authorities begin to look at the factors that might have caused the accident. He said that investigation is “just getting started.”
Friday’s news follows an announcement Thursday from the families of some of the victims that calling hours and memorial services were planned. The services for married couple John and Suzanne (Armeni) Fleming and their sons, Andrew and Jack, will take place Sunday and Monday in Canfield, and Tuesday in Delaware, Ohio.
Fleming, who was piloting the plane, was the CEO of Youngstown-started Superior Beverage Group. He and his wife were 1989 graduates of Boardman High School.
“The families are touched by the tremendous outpouring of support and continue to be grateful to all the agencies and individuals who have aided in the search and recovery efforts, now in the capable hands of the City of Cleveland,” read the statement from the Fleming and Armeni families. “They extend their deep appreciation for the concern, kindness, and privacy shown by so many during this most difficult time.”
Also aboard the plane were Brian Casey and his 19-year-old daughter, Megan Casey, who were neighbors of the Flemings.
According to an update posted on city’s blog Friday, two sonar-equipped vessels were out on Lake Erie Friday with divers and NTSB equipment. One vessel “headed to specific coordinates and is deploying divers who will utilize the underwater locator beacon detector (ULBD) to move toward the signal,” the post stated.
The city also noted that, “The closer they get, the stronger the signal will be. However, visibility for divers in Lake Erie is maybe 2-3 inches, which is what makes the signals so significant to the search.”
The plane went missing the night of Dec. 29 after departing Burke Lakefront Airport. The group was on the way back to Columbus after attending a Cleveland Cavaliers game.