GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A pilot survived after a small airplane crashed in a wooded area in West Michigan Tuesday afternoon.
It happened around 3:50 p.m. in Ottawa County’s Grand Haven Township. Investigators say the 52-year-old pilot was in the process of taking off from a local airport when the plane experienced engine issues. He tried to return to the airport but ended up crashing in a wooded area on private property.
The owners of the property Maryjane Belter and her husband told WOOD-TV they noticed a shadow come over their house, followed by an unusual noise, and then eventually saw the plane.
“We heard this noise that sounded like … a lot of snow and ice falling off your roof and crashing to the ground,” Belter said. “Then, I could see the tail of the plane sticking up through the trees.”
Authorities say the pilot suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be OK. There were no passengers on board.
