Names Of 2 Men Killed In South Haven Plane Crash Released

SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — The names of the two men killed in a plane crash near South Haven were released Friday.

The men have been identified as 70-year-old plane owner Douglas Golike of Lawton and 70-year-old flight instructor David Peahl of Wayland, the South Haven Police Department said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the Piper Aerostar 600, originally reported by police as an Aerospace 600, departed the South Haven Regional Airport between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police Chief Natalie Thompson said it appears the plane crashed shortly after it took off, but no one realized it until Tuesday evening when relatives said they hadn't heard from the men.

The plane was found Wednesday morning around 7 a.m., police said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation why the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.