Sumter man thought to be on missing plane off Charleston

A Sumter native is thought to be on an aircraft that went missing about 110 miles east of Charleston Thursday.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center notified Coast Guard 7^th District watchstanders of a “civilian aircraft emergency at 11:33 a.m.” on Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center received a report from the aircraft of “an in-flight emergency, lost contact on radar and notified the AFRCC.”

Several people have told The Sumter Item the Wilson Hall alumnus was a passenger in addition to posts on The Sumter Item’s Facebook page and other social posts, including public posts from family members.

The Piper-PA 31, a twin-engine plane, was leaving South Carolina from Andrews in Georgetown County to the Bahamas.

As of noon Friday, Coast Guard crews had searched about 2,600 square miles.

The Coast Guard has two cutters and aircraft from the Elizabeth City, North Carolina, air station searching, and a Navy P-3 Orion is also assisting.

There is no official word on the number of people on the plane and who they are. The Federal Aviation Administration will not release information about the plane’s owner until it is found, according to The Associated Press.