Girts Road next to Jamestown airport is the site of the staging area in the search for a missing plane. Photo by Dan Kohler

A massive search was taking place late Sunday for a small aircraft, apparently inbound for the Jamestown airport from North Carolina, that went missing and is believed to have crashed.

Officials confirmed to The Post-Journal that airport officials lost contact with the plane before 6 p.m. Fluvanna Fire Department and multiple other departments are involved in the search with the Jamestown airport being the staging area near Girts Road.

It is unknown if Jamestown was the destination when the plane lost communication.

According to Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone, at approximately 5:47 p.m. Sunday, the plane flying into Jamestown Airport lost contact. Its last coordinates were east of the airport.

As of press time, a search was taking place in the immediate area around the airport. There were 13 volunteer fire departments, four police agencies, and the county FAST team involved in the search.

Quattrone noted that Homeland Security is sending a representative to assist, and the U.S. Air Force search and rescue will be coming in the morning if needed.

He expected the search will continue through the night or until plane is located.

Three people were on the plane, a pilot and two passengers.

It is not known whether the current weather conditions had anything to do with the plane going missing. The Sheriff’s Department is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration.