AUSTIN, Pa. (AP) — The wreckage of a small plane that lost contact with flight controllers as it was flying from Virginia to Canada has been found in Pennsylvania, with all three occupants dead, a coroner said Tuesday.
The Piper PA-28 took off Sunday from Richmond International Airport and was headed to St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The wreckage was found late Monday in Keating Township, said Kevin J. Dusenbury Sr., the Potter County coroner.
The FAA lost contact with the flight over Potter County at about 7 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from the agency.
Emergency dispatchers in nearby McKean County said they were contacted by the FAA after the aircraft changed course to avoid a thunderstorm. They lost radio contact with the plane when it was near the mountainous, remote area of Keating Summit.
The Civil Air Patrol released information on Monday afternoon concerning the aircraft, prompting a search near Route 155 in Keating Township. McKean and Potter county emergency officials were joined by volunteer fire departments, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania State Police.
The National Transportation Safety Board is heading the crash investigation.
The victims’ names won’t be released until their relatives are notified, Dusenbury said.
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This story has been corrected to show the Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the plane Sunday night, not Saturday.
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