One Surviver Rescued, Four Feared Lost

A Cessna 206 operating as a medical transort plane went down Friday in Lake Michigan off the coast of Ludington, according to Coast Guard officials. Initial reports are that of the five people on board, one has been rescued.

Cessna 206 File Photo

Petty Officer Nathaniel Parks said the accident occurred just after 1000 local time, and the survivor was pulled from the water about two hours later. The flight originated in Detroit, and was en route to Rochester, MN, according to FAA spokesperson Elizabeth Isham Cory.

The Associated Press reports that Parks said a witness reported the crash, and the Coast Guard had received a signal from the aircraft's ELT. Flightaware shows the track of the plane as executing a 180 back towards Detroit about a third of the way to Rochester. It entered a steep decline in altitude near Ludington.

The aircraft is registered to Freed Contstruction, based in Alma, MI. Carol Freed, who is the registerd owner of the aircraft, told The Grand Rapids Press that the flight was transporting a patient to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. All on board were from the Alma area. The search for the aircraft and the other occupants is ongoing.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov. www.faa.gov