BOIS BLANC ISLAND, MI— Remains of the passenger in a fatal Lake Huron plane crash 17 years ago have been recovered and identified.
In August of 2007, a SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad plane flown by a 52-year-old Washington, D.C. woman crashed into Lake Huron while en route from Mackinac Island to Bad Axe. A large-scale search for the plane, the remains of the pilot, and the remains of a 56-year-old male passenger, also from Washington, D.C., proved fruitless.
In October of that year, human remains were found in the Straits of Mackinac, east of the Mackinac Bridge. They were identified as the missing pilot. Officials searched for the passenger and plane wreckage, but it was eventually called off.
In October of 2023, private company Great Lakes Search & Recovery resumed search efforts at the request of family members. This month, the team discovered plane wreckage near Bois Blanc Island and reported it to the Michigan State Police.
Members of the MSP Marine Services Team collected evidence from the wreckage that indicated it was the lost plane from 2007. State Police divers also found a set of human remains at the crash site. They were sent to the Center for Forensic Anthropology at Northern Michigan University for identification. Through dental records, the remains were positively identified as belonging to the 56-year-old passenger.
The Michigan State Police credits the work done by Great Lakes Search & Rescue for helping to bring closure to the victims’ families.
