Mystery of plane that vanished with five people inside solved after 53 years

A decades-old mystery has been solved after investigators say they have located the wreckage of a missing plane.

In 1971, a private jet carrying George Nikita, Donald Myers, Frank Wilder, Richard Kirby Windsor, and Robert Ransom Williams III vanished.

The five men were presumed dead in the wake of the plane's disappearance, but their families have always been left without closure.

Over the years, there's been at least 17 searches conducted in the hopes of locating the plane, but they all proved unsuccessful - until now.

After over 50 years of wondering what really happened to the plane, the aircraft's wreckage is believed to have finally been found.

Underwater searcher Garry Kozak and a team used a remotely operated vehicle last month and found wreckage of a jet.

Sonar images pinpointed the aircraft as being 200ft underwater near Juniper Island, South Burlington, US.

Kozak said that he and his team are '99 percent sure' that the jet is the missing plane from 1971 as the wreckage has the same custom paint and has been discovered in a lake close to where the radio control tower had last tracked the plane.

There were 5 men on board the plane when it went down. (NBC5)

The families of the passengers who went down with the plane have been informed of the recent discovery.

Barbara Nikitas, niece of pilot George Nikita, said in an interview with Associated Press: "To have this found now... it’s peaceful feeling, at the same time it’s a very sad feeling.

"We know what happened. We’ve seen a couple of photos. We’re struggling I think with that now."

Elsewhere, Frank Wilder, who has the same name as his father who was on the plane, said the discovery has left him 'relieved'.

"Spending 53 years not knowing if the plane was in the lake or maybe on a mountainside around there somewhere was distressing," he said, as per NBC News.

The plane's wreckage was found near Juniper Island. (NBC5)

"And again, I’m feeling relieved that I know where the plane is now, but unfortunately it’s opening other questions and we have to work on those now."

The cold conditions made the search for the plane more difficult as the lake froze over just four days after it went missing.

While Kozak is confident the discovered aircraft is the one that went missing 53 years ago, The National Transportation Safety Board - which does not do salvage operations - is reportedly investigating to verify if it is definitely the plane.

It's unclear how long the investigation will take.