NTSB cites wildfire smoke as contributing factor in 2023 Lake Michigan plane crash
Wildfire smoke is considered a contributing factor in a 2023 private plane crash into Lake Michigan near Beaver Island, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.
The crash on June 23, 2023, resulted in a fatality to the passenger and injuries to the pilot who were on a personal sight-seeing flight.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew was training in the area, and responded quickly to the crash site, where they assisted Charlevoix County Sheriff's Office dive team in the response and rescue.
The NTSB's Aviation Investigation Final Report, which was issued June 4, concluded that the pilot failed to navigate through the low visibility situation described as "instrument meteorological conditions." He did not get a formal weather briefing before the flight.
The flight took off about 8:30 a.m. local time from Beaver Island, according to the flight records. The plane crashed into water that was about 20 feet deep, about three miles northwest of Beaver Island.
The pilot sent an SOS alert and managed to get himself out of the wreckage and stayed above water. He tried to pull the passenger out, but was unable to do so.
The initial first responders and the rescue helicopter pilot reported a combination of smoke and haze in the area due to wildfire smoke.
"Given the condition of the airplane and the visibility conditions at the time of the accident, it is likely that the pilot was not able to discern between the water and the horizon due to the smoke, haze and the calm waters which resulted in the inadvertent descent into the water," the report said.
Drifting wildfire smoke was a noticeable problem in Michigan during summer 2023, with hundreds of fires active in Canada that June.
