Authorities are looking for an 82-year-old man who went missing with his plane after taking off from the Dowagiac Municipal Airport Sunday.
The Dowagiac Department of Public Safety says police were called to the airport around 8:15 p.m. and told Richard Martin had departed the airport in his Martin’s Sonex Plane around 11 a.m. and never returned. They learned he often flies his plane for around one to two hours on Sunday mornings.
The Michigan Wing Civil Air Patrol is now requesting help from the public as it searches for the aircraft and pilot. It says the plane is a small, home-built airframe with a polished aluminum exterior and tail number N569SX.
Martin was the only person on board.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane heading north soon after takeoff, and CAP aircrew and ground teams are currently searching the areas north and northwest of Dowagiac. That includes areas around Benton Harbor and South Haven. Extended searches may include areas in the counties of Van Buren, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, and Allegan.
Anyone with any information on the missing plane is asked to contact Civil Air Patrol.
Richard Martin:
Martin’s plane:
