BEAVER ISLAND, MI -- A 2023 plane crash near Beaver Island appears to have been caused by limited visibility due to wildfire smoke. A report compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board surrounding the June 23, 2023 crash found that the pilot inadvertently impacted the surface of Lake Michigan, likely because of the lack of visibility.
“The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the water while maneuvering in low visibility conditions due to smoke and haze,” reads a section of the report regarding the probable cause(s) of the crash.
Beverly Jean Anderson, 65, of Lowell, was killed in the crash which happened during a sightseeing flight. The pilot, Randy F. Seaman, 72, of Lowell, was injured, but survived. Anderson and Seaman were flying in an Avid Magnum airplane when it crashed at approximately 8:44 a.m.
The report says Seaman regained consciousness in the water after the crash, but has no recollection of what happened just prior to hitting the water.
Satellite images from the accident site and reports from first responders suggest that visibility was an issue on the morning of the crash.
“The pilot of a rescue helicopter that arrived at the accident site about 30 minutes after the accident confirmed that the smoke and haze, combined with no wind and very calm water, made it impossible to determine where the sky and water met,” the report reads. “There was no record that the pilot obtained a weather briefing before the flight.
“Given the condition of the airplane and the visibility conditions at the time of the accident, it is likely that the pilot was not able to discern between the water and the horizon due to the smoke, haze, and the calm waters which resulted in the inadvertent descent into the water.”
