Avid MAGNUM accident near Beaver Island, MI
On June 23, 2023, an Avid MAGNUM (airplane) was involved in an accident near Beaver Island, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 23, 2023
- Place
- Beaver Island, MI
- Aircraft
- Avid MAGNUM · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.795°N, 85.609°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230623192431
Official records · CEN23FA257
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 23, 2023, about 0844 eastern daylight time, an Avid Magnum airplane, N103DG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Beaver Island, Michigan. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was on a local sightseeing flight at the time of the accident. The pilot was maneuvering the airplane to see a lighthouse on a remote island when the airplane inadvertently impacted the surface of Lake Michigan about 3.25 miles northwest of the Beaver Island shoreline. After regaining consciousness, the pilot self-extricated himself from the wreckage and attempted to remove the passenger from the wreckage but was unable to do so. The pilot then climbed on a piece of the floating wreckage and activated the SOS function of his Garmin inReach satellite communicator. The SOS alert was received by the Garmin International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC), which promptly relayed the distress message and last known coordinates to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the SOS message from the pilot’s satellite communicator about 0909, and they arrived on scene about 30 minutes later. The airplane was found in about 20 ft of water with the pilot sitting on a singular float above the waterline. During the rescue operation, the USCG pilot reported that smoke and haze combined with no wind and very calm seas made it impossible to determine where the sky and water met, r
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the water while maneuvering in low visibility conditions due to smoke and haze.
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Browse: Michigan
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
