Georgia contracting firm has two employees on missing Mississippi plane

The Coast Guard said Tuesday it is conducting a search and rescue mission for three men aboard a single-engine plane that went missing Monday afternoon shortly after takeoff from Gulfport, Mississippi.

Two of three people on a plane that went missing Monday are employees of a Georgia-based contracting business.

Bob Roy, president and co-owner of RMR Mechanical, based in Cumming, Ga., told the Sun Herald that both company manager Dexter Brewer and Vice President and Co-Owner Gerald Miletello were on the single-engine plane, which took off from Gulfport on Monday and has not been seen since. Debris, possibly from the plane, has been spotted near Belle Fontaine beach in Jackson County.

Roy said Brewer was on his way to a customer meeting in South Carolina and had been a company employee for about a decade.

He said the third person on the plane was a pilot.

RMR Mechanical performs contracting and mechanical work for clients throughout the South and East, its website says.

A witness on Belle Fontaine beach identified the plane's tail number in debris found on the ground.

"We are actively searching for survivors," said Capt. Brandon Lechthaler of the Coast Guard. "This is a search and rescue."

Lechthaler said boats and aircraft are assisting in the search that is spreading out from a point 3 miles south of Gulfport, which is where they believe the Lancair went into the water.

All family of the men have been sent to Pascagoula's Coast Guard station to await news from the search.

The single-engine plane started in Louisiana, stopped in Gulfport and was en route to South Carolina when it went down.

"There's been no confirmation the debris found was from the plane but it is highly likely," Lechthaler said.

Department of Marine Resources Patrol Captain Keith Davis said they are hopeful that the men can be found safely.

He said Gov. Phil Bryant has been notified of the situation and has been briefed.

Davis said the most significant piece of debris was the tail wing of the missing plane.

Sheriff Mike Ezell asked Jackson Countians to contact the sheriff's department if they find anything else.

"Do not move or touch it," he said. "The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is available if you find anything."

According to the Coast Guard, the Lancair lost radio contact about 12:40 p.m. Monday, shortly after its takeoff. Radar and cellphone searches show its last known location was in the Mississippi Sound.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile about 10:40 p.m.

The plane left the Million Air terminal in Gulfport about noon Monday, General Manager Peter Mastroianni said.

SunHerald.com will update this story as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Georgia contracting firm has two employees on missing Mississippi plane ."