Officials Search in Vain After Report of a Downed Plane

By ANDY BEHLEN  A report of a missing airplane sent local authorities on a two hour search around Rabb’s Prairie  Friday afternoon. The search was called off after authorities found no sign of the plane. The Federal Aviation Administration later said it was a false report.

Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said 911 dispatchers were notified around 3 p.m. that a plane went missing from radar near the vicinity of Rabb’s Prairie Road and Manuel Loop, near the Colorado River northwest of La Grange. 

Sheriff’s deputies, La Grange Volunteer Fire Department and Fayette County EMS began searching the corn fields around Rabb’s Prairie. They were joined by helicopters and airplanes searching from the sky. After about two hours of searching with no sign of the plane, they called off the effort.

FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford later told the Record it was a false report.

“Somebody called in saying they thought they saw a plane go down. Happens occasionally, and often it’s just a low-flying pleasure flight or somebody actually landing at a small airport,” Lunsford said.