Nov 9, 2025
An investigation is ongoing after a small airplane crashed near the Ludington Pump Storage Plant on Nov. 8, 2025.
MASON COUNTY — An investigation is underway after a small airplane crashed near the Ludington Pump Storage Plant this weekend.
Emergency crews rushed to the 3500 block of South Lakeshore Drive around 2:13 p.m. Saturday after receiving an “iPhone crash detection” alert, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a news release Sunday.
MASON COUNTY, Mich. — As emergency crews raced to the scene, the Mason/Oceana County 911 Center received a second call — this time from the pilot himself — reporting that his small plane had crashed but that he and his 83-year-old passenger from Muskegon were uninjured, according to a Sunday news release.
The 61-year-old pilot from Issaquah, Washington, told authorities he had been flying from Fremont to Ludington when trouble struck. At an altitude between 2,700 and 3,500 feet, the aircraft’s engine suddenly seized, forcing him to act quickly. He turned the plane into the wind and began a controlled descent.
The pilot managed to execute an emergency landing atop the Ludington Pumped Storage Reservoir. However, after touching down, the plane slid down the steep embankment and came to rest at the bottom of the hill on the reservoir’s west side, officials said.
No fuel leaks were reported or observed, and the National Transportation Safety Board was notified, according to the release.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — an independent federal agency — has taken charge of the investigation. The agency is responsible for determining the probable causes of every civil aviation accident in the United States, as well as major incidents involving railroads, highways, marine vessels, pipelines, and even commercial space operations.
At the scene, troopers from the Michigan State Police Hart Post and officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources assisted the Mason County Sheriff’s Office in securing the area and supporting the investigation.
