Swampy Plane Crash Kills Costa Rican Woman, Pilot In Critical Condition

BRIGHTON (WWJ) - A woman from Costa Rica is dead, and her pilot is seriously injured, following a plane crash Saturday morning near Brighton Airport.

Michael O'Brian, fire chief with the Brighton Area Fire Authority, tells WWJ that the crash happened near I-96 and Grand River.

"The plane crashed in a very swampy area on the edge of Woodland Lake - so it took us a little while to find and gain the best access - we had to remove some small trees and brush. Once crews were able to wade out to the plane crash, they found two patients," said O'Brian.

O'Brian says the two victims had to be cut out of the wreckage. The plane had just taken off. The pilot, a 79-year-old man from Howell, was life flighted to the University of Michigan Hospital and the 56-year-old woman from Costa Rica died.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirms that the plane was a single engine Aeronca. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and will lead the investigation into the cause.

The plane had just taken off. The survivor was airlifted to the University of Michigan Hospital.

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