Missing Ohio Plane: Underwater Locator Beacon Deployed

CLEVELAND, OH - The search for the remains of a passenger plane that was carrying six people continues Thursday. The search has been employing the use of an underwater locator beacon to try and locate more debris.

The recovery team says the beacon did not locate any targets yesterday, but that was likely due to inclement weather. The operation is hopeful they'll be more successful with the equipment today.

Recovery operations spokespeople say the team has expanded its search area and has continued to collect debris that may be related to the missing plane. The underwater beacon will be deployed along the grid.

The Cessna 525 Citation went missing from Burke Lakefront Airport on Thursday. The search team currently consists of vessels from the Cleveland Division of Fire, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, New York State Police, the Cleveland Division of Police and the Metroparks.

By early Tuesday morning, the recovery operation has located more than 120 pieces of debris that they say is consistent with a Cessna 525. There is no word yet on if any of the materials found include a black box from the plane. Additional debris was located later on Tuesday near the shoreline east of Burke Lakefront Airport. That debris' connection to the Cessna 525 is still foggy.

Cleveland Police and the Metroparks are both utilizing helicopters to comb the search area. The other departments are using ships to comb Lake Erie and sonar to try and detect debris. If something is located on sonar, a diving team is sent out to take a look.

The search area for the debris has expanded to a four mile area along the shoreline, and extends 2.5 miles from shore to water. The search is continuing on Wednesday.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch