In this Aug. 1, 2008 photo, Dublin Irish Festival honorary chairman John T. Fleming proposes at toast following the tapping of the firs...
In this Aug. 1, 2008 photo, Dublin Irish Festival honorary chairman John T. Fleming proposes at toast following the tapping of the first Dublin Stout Keg at Brazenhead in Dublin, Ohio. A flight-tracking service shows that a plane piloted by the Ohio executive with five other people onboard quickly lost altitude after taking off from Cleveland's lakeshore airport. The parents of Superior Beverage Company executive John T. Fleming confirmed he was piloting the Columbus-bound plane when it vanished late Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, over Lake Erie. (ThisWeek Newspapers/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 20...
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard says there's been no sign of debris or those aboard a plane that took off from the airport on the shores of Lake Erie and went missing overnight. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
A search plane flies over Lake Erie, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. A U.S. Coast Guard official said crews are in search-and-resc...
A search plane flies over Lake Erie, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. A U.S. Coast Guard official said crews are in search-and-rescue mode, not recovery mode, as they look for a plane carrying six people that disappeared overnight shortly after takeoff from a Cleveland airport along Lake Erie's shore. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 20...
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard said there's been no sign of debris or those aboard a plane that took off from the airport on the shores of Lake Erie and went missing overnight. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 20...
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard says there's been no sign of debris or those aboard a plane that took off from the airport on the shores of Lake Erie and went missing overnight. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard walks to a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland...
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard walks to a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard says there's been no sign of debris or those aboard a plane that took off from the airport on the shores of Lake Erie and went missing overnight. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 20...
Capt. Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard said there's been no sign of debris or those aboard a plane that took off from the airport on the shores of Lake Erie and went missing overnight. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
CLEVELAND (AP) — The disappointing search for a small plane that disappeared over Lake Erie near Cleveland's shores carrying six people has turned into a recovery effort.
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for the plane that vanished shortly after takeoff Thursday night from the city's lakeshore airport. The Coast Guard said Friday it would step aside to allow Cleveland to begin recovery efforts.
Coast Guard official Michael Mullen offered his condolences to the family and friends of those who lost loved ones.
John T. Fleming, chief executive of a Columbus-based beverage distribution company, was piloting the plane. His wife, their two teenage sons, and two neighbors were aboard.
City officials and the Coast Guard have scheduled a press conference later Saturday morning to discuss the recovery efforts.
