Pilot helps Coast Guard locate three survivors of Lake Michigan plane crash
By TJ Dysart
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Three men were rescued from Lake Michigan after their plane crashed 14 miles off the coast of Racine County, Wisconsin, on Thursday, with the help of a nearby pilot and the Coast Guard.
The plane, which had taken off from Mitchell Airport, disappeared from radar after turning around during its flight path. Another pilot in the area, Terry Sweeney, was asked by air traffic control to circle the wreckage until help arrived.
The passengers sent text messages to law enforcement in Milwaukee, asking for help as they floated in the lake for 40 minutes while their plane sank.
“It’s always a good story when people are able to be safe and sound and recovered from the water.” Lt. Joseph Neff of the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard officials credited the life vests worn by the men for their survival, while Sweeney noted the parachutes played a significant role.
“The parachute definitely played a big role in their survival because number one, it got them down to the water safely without major impact, and then number two, the wind was blowing hard enough to keep the parachute inflated, so I was able to see it, target it, and circle it,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney had been in the middle of his own flight from Cleveland to Kenosha when he was called to assist.
“They asked me to turn ten miles to the north to look for a downed aircraft, and of course, all of us hate to hear that kind of thing,” Sweeney said.
A short time later, Sweeney spotted the downed aircraft from its parachutes.
“When I finally found them, they were about 80% still afloat and the parachute still inflated,” Sweeney said.
Coast Guard officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash, but an investigation is underway. Sweeney, who has nearly 50 years of flying experience, suggested that engine failure might be a possibility based on what he observed.
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