IONIA, Mich. — A Grand Rapids pilot is OK after his plane went missing overnight, and police were able to successfully track him down near the Ionia County airport.
Just before 2 a.m. Saturday, Ionia County dispatchers tell 13 On Your Side that they received a call from a Chicago air tower indicating a pilot was in trouble and may be running out of fuel near the Ionia County Airport. Air control had lost contact with the plane, which no longer appeared to be flying.
The flight was enroute from a northeastern Ohio airport to Greenville Municipal Airport.
Officers from the Ionia County Sheriff Department, Michigan State Police, Ionia Department of Public Safety began searching the area around the airport looking for any signs of a downed plane or a crash.
Once officers were able to identify the tail number of the small, privately-owned Cessna, they were able to track its last known coordinates -- an open, rural area a few miles southeast of the airport.
Officers checked the area and were flagged down. The pilot was unharmed.
It's not yet known if the aircraft was damaged.
The FAA is expected to be called in to investigate.
Police were assisted at the scene by the Berlin-Orange Townships Fire Department and Life EMS Ambulance as well.
