Aircraft Went Down Saturday Near Duluth, MN

The pilot of a Lancair IV that went down Saturday in about 140 feet of water in Lake Superior near Duluth, MN has been located, along with the wreckage of the airplane.

Local authorities said Duluth International Airport lost contact with the plane about 11:30 Saturday morning. A spokesman for Lancair said that the plane had been operated for years with no problems, and it had departed Bend, OR Friday on its way to Goose Bay in Canada.

The first wreckage was found floating about a mile offshore after several hours searching in a heavy fog. Local police used sonar equipment to locate the main wreckage of the airplane, and a remote-controlled submarine confirmed that there was a body still in the cockpit.

Lancair spokesman Doug Meyer told television stations WDIO and WIRT he believed that the pilot was a new owner of the airplane, an experienced German pilot. Meyer said that if that is the case, third-party trainers who were going to work with the pilot would not do so until an unspecified maintenance issue was addressed. Meyer said it is his understanding that the pilot elected to fly the airplane home before the maintenance was completed.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov