Wreckage found in search for small plane near airport

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve found wreckage during a search for a small plane that disappeared near a busy North Carolina airport.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport officials issued a statement Monday saying ground crews located what they believe is the aircraft that went missing Sunday night while approaching one of the airport runways. They offered no other details about who may have been aboard.

Searchers spent the night combing a densely wooded state park near the airport and deployed drones and helicopters. The Federal Aviation Administration says radar lost track of the small plane Sunday night as it approached the smallest of three runways at the airport. Air operations were halted for about 20 minutes as authorities rushed to the wooded area, but the plane couldn’t immediately be located.

The FAA website said the single-engine plane typically has around six seats. Airport spokeswoman Crystal Feldman could not say how many people were aboard the private aircraft. Air operations were halted for about 20 minutes Sunday night as firefighting and rescue units rushed to the wooded area, but the plane could not be located. That caused a number of commercial flights into the airport to be delayed or diverted until regular operations resumed.