Lake Erie missing plane search limited by high winds, waves

CLEVELAND -- Officials say the search for a plane carrying six people that vanished last week over Lake Erie after takeoff from a Cleveland airport is being hindered by high winds and waves.

The city said Wednesday morning that foot patrols and mounted units resumed searching the shoreline east of Burke Lakefront Airport, but conditions weren’t allowing search boats and dive teams back on the water.

Recovery crews heard a possible ping on Tuesday, CBS affiliate WOIO-TV reports. They are waiting to confirm if it is from the missing Cessna 525 Citation. The city is also waiting for equipment from the National Transportation Safety Board to arrive to help find the plane’s black box.

The NTSB equipment was expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon. It was being piloted by a beverage distribution company executive when it disappeared Dec. 29.

It was carrying the executive’s wife, their two sons and their two neighbors, who included a University of Wisconsin-Madison student.

The city says more debris “relevant to the investigation” was found Tuesday.