A small seaplane crashed into a dock in the northern channel of the St. Clair River in Clay Township, Michigan (near Algonac). Mike Carey, the pilot and sole occupant of the Czech Aircraft Works Mermaid (registration N853CZ), was killed in the accident.
According to witnesses, the aircraft was flying across the river when it suddenly banked hard and crashed. Some witnesses heard the engine running. The accident happened at 1:00 PM local time. The wreckage was located next to a dock at 4965 Pointe Tremble, Clay Township.
There is no additional information on the crash so it is very difficult to even begin to guess what could have happened here.
Elderly Man Dies In Small Plane Crash - Detroit Local News Story ...
Advertising Exec. Dies In Mich. Plane Crash
Advertising Exec. Dies In Mich. Plane Crash
Pilot Was Only One On Plane
POSTED: Thursday, April 1, 2010, UPDATED: 1:16 pm EDT April 2,2010
The man who died in a small plane crash in St. Clair County Thursday has been identified.The St. Clair County Medical Examiner's Office said Mike Carey, 80, of Grosse Pointe died when his small plane crashed into a seawall on the Northern Channel of the St. Clair River at about 1 p.m.
A woman who witnessed the crash called Carey a hero for trying his best to avoid hitting her home.
"The first thing I did when he was pulled out was did the sign of the cross and thanked him for missing our house because that's what he did. I just wanted his family to know," said witness Sandy Jenkins.
The small seaplane crashed into a barge at the end of a dock off of Jenkins home on the 4900 block of Pointe Tremble in Clay Township and then became partially submerged.
Jenkins said she and her husband were doing yard work when she looked up and saw the small plane sputtering and heading for her home.
"I yelled to my husband, 'The plane is crashing. It going to hit the house, drop to the floor,'" said Jenkins.
Jenkins said the stiff wind was blowing the plane toward her home, but she believes the pilot did everything he could to avoid hitting her house.
"The man straightened that plane around, turned and dove," she said.
Witnesses rushed to help Carey, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carey was the only person on board the plane. He was a well-known advertising executive and friend of Local 4 Anchor Guy Gordon.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating why the Czech Aircraft Works Mermaid single engine craft went down.
Experts said they are not sure why the plane crashed, but they are looking into the possibility of a medical emergency.
Also experts said the plane could have run out of gas or malfunctioned.
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