MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Authorities have located the wreckage of a plane that went down near the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport Friday morning.

According to the Federal Aviation Authority, air traffic controllers at the Mount Pleasant airport lost contact with a Lightning LS-1 light sport aircraft as it approached the airport Thursday around 10:30 p.m.

The FAA then issued an alert notice which triggered a search for the plane.

Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Mike Mixon told News 2 crews were searching for the plane on foot and on ATVs.

Courtesy: WCBD

U.S. Coast Guard later said Mount Pleasant Police had found the aircraft in a wooded area near the airport and that it was believed two passengers were on board at the time of the crash.

In a statement provided by the FAA, officials confirmed there were two people on board and said they would release the names and their conditions at an appropriate time.

According to Spencer Pryor, the Chief Communications Officer with the Charleston County Aviation Authority later confirmed both passengers were deceased.

“The FAA will investigate, and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident,” the statement said.

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