Plane Crash Near Howell Kills 2
HOWELL (WWJ) - Two people are dead following a plane crash Wednesday evening in Howell Township.
The Livingston County Sheriff's Department said the pair was traveling aboard a small "experimental" plane when it crashed into a house on M-59 near Tooley Road.
"There were two individuals in the plane, one a 70-year-old male and one a 43-year-old male. Both individuals were pronounced deceased at approximately 7:28 p.m.," Undersheriff Mike Murphy said.
The victims have been identified John Jerome Nowak, 70, of Westland, and Patrick Lee Charles, 43, of Canton.
The plane crashed into a home near the Livingston County Airport. The homeowner said he could see the plane coming directly at the bedroom window, so he hit the floor. But at the last second, he said the plane must have banked and slammed into the next room of the house. The homeowner wasn't injured, but the walls caved in from the impact.
Murphy said the two men were not from the Howell area, but would not comment further.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's website, the aircraft, a Thorp T-18, was built in 1982 and is registered to a Canton man.
The Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by the Howell Area Fire Department and Michigan State Police.
It is unclear if the plane, which had only two seats, had just taken off from or was trying to land at the airport.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
