Photo by Cameron Hurst

Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone confirmed three people were killed when the plane they were in crashed Sunday evening near the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport.

The wreckage of the plane, a private twin-engine aircraft, was located Monday around 9:30 a.m. on a steep embankment off Route 60, north of Turner Road, and not far from the airport. A portion of Route 380, near Route 60, was closed to traffic as rescue crews arrived.

“We have since then confirmed that there were no survivors, so we had three fatalities in this wreckage,” Quattrone said during a press conference Monday morning. “Currently, we are waiting for the FAA to return or come to the scene to complete their investigation.”

The three people, identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Alan Fuller, Valerie Holmes and Linda Edwards and reportedly residents of northern Pennsylvania, were arriving from North Carolina when the plane lost contact with air traffic control in Buffalo at about 5:47 p.m. The plane is based at Jamestown airport, and Quattrone said it is believed the pilot and at least one other person owned the aircraft.

Air traffic control did not receive any distress call from the plane before it went missing.

A massive search commenced and comprised of more than a dozen area volunteer fire departments, four police agencies and the county’s search and rescue team. Crews of about 135 were out until about 1 a.m. Monday looking for the plane and included a large swath of land east of the airport, including Ross Mills Road.

The search was called off due to weather and the rough terrain before picking up again in the morning.

Quattrone said various family members of those on the plane have been contacted. The sheriff said he believes weather may have played a role in the plane going missing.

According to the National Weather Service, winds were at 22 mph at the recorded time of 5:56 p.m., with gusts reaching 35 mph. The conditions in the Jamestown area were described as light snow, fog/mist and breezy. There was 1 mile of visibility at the time.