SMYTH COUNTY, Va. (WCYB) - The Mansfield News Journal in Ohio is reporting that George and Pam Ihrig Fonseca were killed when a plane crashed in Smyth County.
The couple is from Mansfield, Ohio.
The report says the identities were confirmed by the couple's son-in-law. VSP and the FAA have not confirmed the identities.
The Mansfield News Journal says the couple was on their way to Ohio after spending the winter at their Florida home.
Their son-in-law told the paper that the two were flying enthusiasts and sponsored free flights for young people during community events.
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Virginia State Police said the wreckage of a missing aircraft had been found in a remote area of Smyth County, east of Saltville. State Police Lieutenant Ed Murphy said there were no survivors. They believe there were at least two individuals on board - a pilot and one passenger.
State police said officers have notified next of kin. The bodies were transferred to the Roanoke medical examiner's office for positive identification.
The plane was located around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on Flat Top Mountain, a very remote location with no roads and many cliffs. Troopers did not reach the site by ground until 3:05 p.m.
VSP said weather may have been a factor in the crash. State police and NTSB will conduct an investigation.
Search crews had been looking after reports came in of a downed plane Monday afternoon. The area's dense foliage, rocky terrain, and rugged cliffs made search efforts by vehicle and foot challenging for search crews.
As darkness fell Monday, VSP's air search crew began using night-search technology, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management started organizing search crews that specialize in night searches.
Multiple state and local agencies were taking part in the ground "grid search" using GPS coordinates provided by the military.
According to the FAA, the Beech BE-55 flight plan included a departure from Spruce Creek Airport near Daytona Beach Florida with the planned destination of Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport in Mansfield, Ohio.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified Search and Rescue (SAR) authorities after air traffic controllers at Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Sullivan County, Tennessee lost contact with a Beech BE-55 aircraft at about 12:40 p.m. Monday. It was flying about seven miles northeast of Tazewell County Airport, Richland, VA when contact was lost, the FAA said.
Earlier Monday evening, the Virginia Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Richmond was notified by the military of a possible small, private aircraft crashing in the area of Smyth or Grayson county. The EOC notified the Virginia State Police and search efforts were immediately underway on the ground and by air.
As of 9:15 p.m. Monday, there were no confirmed reports of any plane or wreckage being found and no aircraft distress radio/emergency beacon detected in the region.
VDEM established a command post in Saltville to help coordinate search and rescue ground teams, who conducted grid searches around the GPS coordinates provided by the military. State troopers also followed-up on various tips that have been called in by the public concerning possible sightings.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Conservation Police are also assisting on the ground through the use of ATVs and VSP aviation searched the area by plane.