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Wreckage of plane missing for 21 years found near St. Ignace

Plane discovered by national forest personnel Wednesday
07-13-2018-NTSBlogoJH01
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Wreckage of a plane that was reported missing 21 years ago was discovered by Hiawatha National Forest employees near St. Ignace, Michigan on Wednesday.

A single-engine Piper registered to Mark Davies of Howell, Michigan was last seen departing the Drummond Island Airport bound for Howell on the afternoon of September 14, 1997.

Davies and his wife, Janet, were presumed dead following a four-day search initiated by the United States Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol.

According to the final accident report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a friend of Davies said that he normally flew direct GPS and was known to experience vertigo easily. Other pilots reported that the weather that day went down to 200 feet overcast.

“According to Toronto Air Route Traffic Control Center NTAP data, the airplane departed Drummond Island at 1553 edt and was observed flying 20 to 25 miles south then turning 180 degrees before disappearing from their radar,” read the report.

NTSB spokesperson Eric Weiss told SooToday that the transportation safety board will be carrying out an investigation with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration as well as the engine and airframe manufacturers.


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James Hopkin

About the Author: James Hopkin

James Hopkin is a reporter for SooToday in Sault Ste. Marie
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