JACKSONBURG, W.Va. — There were no survivors in the plane crash discovered in Wetzel County following a two-day search.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the missing plane carrying an Illinois couple has been found in Jacksonburg in Wetzel County around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Bill and Pat Searcy of Carterville, Illinois were flying from Georgetown, Delaware to Flemingsburg, Kentucky with their dog when the plane went down Tuesday afternoon.
The official statement from FAA Public Affairs Specialist Arlene Salac confirms the plane was found at approximately 2:00 p.m. However, local authorities were having a difficult time reaching the plane in the hours after the discovery due to the mountainous terrain. Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker confirmed searchers found the plane Thursday afternoon, but offered no additional details.
“They haven’t been able to get to it yet,” Walker told the AJR News Network in Clarksburg around 5:30 Thursday evening. “The woods there is thick, so they’re having a difficult time.”
The Cirrus SR20 took off from Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown, Delaware on Tuesday, September 5 and was heading to Fleming-Mason Airport in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. The plane was last heard from about 23 miles northwest of Clarksburg on Tuesday. Jacksonburg is approximately 32 miles northwest of Clarksburg by ground. Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny estimates the plane was approximately three aerial miles into Wetzel County.
The FAA is investigating and the NTSB will determine the cause of the accident.