College Student Missing Since Rented Plane Splashed Down In Lake Michigan

A bible college student from Virginia is missing and feared drowned after his single-engine aircraft apparently ran out of fuel and landed in the icy waters of Lake Michigan Monday night. So far, neither his rented Piper PA-28 nor Leber himself have been found and, given the water's temperature, rescuers are fast losing hope.

Leber had rented the aircraft from Wisconsin Aviation Four Lakes in Madison Monday. His last known position was about five miles offshore, near Cudahy, WI. As he was flying west over the lake, he radioed that he was low on fuel, according to a spokeswoman for the FAA. Shortly after that, he ditched the aircraft, she said.

"I need any help real fast," Leber of Springfield, VA, said in a 911 call from his cell phone call shortly before midnight Monday. As the emergency dispatcher asked him questions, he said, "My plane's going down real fast."

Moments later, he told the dispatcher, "I'm in the water." The sound of water was heard through the cell phone for a moment -- then nothing.

The Coast Guard estimates Leber could have survived the frigid water -- where the temperature was a mere 44F -- for about four hours before succumbing to the cold. The USCG, along with the Canadian Coast Guard sent boats, helicopters and a C-130 to search for Leber, but to no avail.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 5360F        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
  Date: 04/26/2005     Time: 0442

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: CUDAHY   State: WI   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT REPORTED TO HAVE CRASHED INTO LAKE MICHIGAN, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE
  UNKNOWN,  CUDAHY, WI

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1    Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   U
                 # Pass:    0    Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:          Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: 0452Z 25014 10SM SCT015 BKN030 OVC120 08/04 2941

OTHER DATA

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: MILWAUKEE, WI            Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: MILWAUKEE, WI  (GL13)                 Entry date: 04/26/2005

FMI: www.ntsb.gov