Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 15, 1990 TAG: 9005150326
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MANASSAS LENGTH: Medium
The men, all from the Washington, D.C., area, disappeared Thursday on a flight from North Carolina. Authorities have not released their names.
John McKendrew of the Civil Air Patrol said the search, suspended at dark Monday, would resume after daybreak today.
The search begun Friday has covered thousands of square miles between Fredericksburg and Winchester with no trace of the single-engine Cessna 210.
About 100 people and 17 airplanes searched Monday, Civil Air Patrol spokeswoman Linda J. Utting said from search headquarters at the Manassas Airport.
Search coordinator Lt. Col. S.R. Hague said he was "90 percent sure," the plane went down near Dumfries. Hague said phone tips from people who may have heard or seen something early Thursday point to the area.
Searchers initially scoured heavily forested areas near Winchester, where the plane was to make a scheduled stop.
Sue Ann Richards, the fiancee of one of the missing men, urged people Monday to search their land for any sign of the plane. Richards' wedding date is two weeks away.
The plane took off about 1:30 a.m. from Manteo, N.C., and was reported missing by the passengers' relatives Thursday afternoon. The search was delayed by bad weather and began Friday morning.
The men were returning from an annual fishing trip on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Authorities believe the plane's last radio transmission was near Richmond.
The pilot did not file a flight plan.
by CNB