HOWELL, Mich. — Federal investigators have determined that a misplaced air filter screen probably caused a small plane’s engine failure and crash in southeastern Michigan that killed a Delta airlines pilot and an aircraft mechanic two years ago.
A National Transportation Safety Board report says the filter became displaced and blocked air into the engine.
The plane lost total power and crashed soon after taking off from Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport near Howell.
Those killed in the August 2019 crash were 64-year-old pilot Phillip Colmer of Chelsea and 68-year-old James Tafralian of Webberville.
Colmer was a Delta airlines pilot. Tafralian was an aircraft mechanic well known in the skydiving community.
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