Plane disappears in Brazil
2006-10-14 19:59
Sao Paulo - A small private plane with six people aboard has gone missing after losing contact with air traffic controllers, Brazil's civil aviation authority said on Saturday.
The twin-engine Piper Seneca disappeared from radar screens about 20 minutes after taking off on Friday night from an airport in the city of Vitoria, about 800km northeast of Sao Paulo, the aviation authority said.
Two Brazilian air force planes were sent to the area in a search and rescue operation, authorities said.
The plane left Rio de Janeiro on Friday afternoon and was headed to the resort city of Porto Seguro in northeastern Brazil, authorities said. It had stopped in Vitoria for refuelling.
There were no immediate details about the plane's owners or its passengers.
Two weeks ago, a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 crashed in the Amazon jungle, killing all 154 people aboard after colliding with an executive jet.
- AP