By Mark Tower | mtower@mlive.com
on July 03, 2016 at 10:53 PM, updated July 04, 2016 at 12:08 AM
FRANKENMUTH, MI — A man and child were killed Sunday, July 3, after a plane crashed near the end of a landing strip at a small airport near Frankenmuth, according to police.
Police, firefighters and paramedics responded at about 5:22 p.m. Sunday to William "Tiny" Zehnder Field for the report of a plane crash, according to a press release from Frankenmuth Police Department.
First responders located the wreckage of a plane near the east end of the airport's runway, the release states.
Police Chief Don Mawer said investigators have confirmed that two people died in the crash, a man and a child. Police have not yet released the identities of the two victims, pending notification of family members.
"This is a hugely traumatic experience for them," Mawer said.
The chief said the plane was reportedly conducting a series of "touch and go" maneuvers at the time of the crash. The maneuver, common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft, involves landing and taking off again without coming to a full stop.
Mawer said witnesses to the crash called 911 and reported the plane was not on fire before it struck the ground.
"It actually ignited after it hit the ground," he said.
Police: Two killed in plane crash at airport near Frankenmuth
Two people were killed in a plane crash Sunday, July 3, at an airport near Frankenmuth, according to Police Chief Don Mawer.
Police report that the plane involved in the crash was registered to a hanger located at the airfield, located on South Block Road south of Curtis Road in Frankenmuth Township.
Mawer said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
He said family members reported there were no known medical issues with the pilot, but beyond that it is too soon to speculate.
"It could be a whole host of things," Mawer said.
The crash scene will soon be turned over to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, he said.
Frankenmuth Police Department will secure the scene of the crash until the federal investigators arrive, Mawer said.
"We have to be here until they arrive," he said. "Then in the morning we'll hand the ball over to them."
Emergency crews respond to plane crash near Frankenmuth
Police responded to a plane crash at an airport near Frankenmuth on Sunday, July 3.
Witness statements and the fact that the plane was a two-seater have led police to conclude the man and child were the only occupants in the plane.
But Mawer said officials are continuing a search of the crash scene "just to make sure."
Assisting the police department at the scene were Frankenmuth firefighters, the Michigan State Police, Bridgeport Township crews and paramedics from Mobile Medical Response.
The William "Tiny" Zehnder Field is a privately-owned airport run by Frankenmuth Airport Inc. that features a 2530-foot-long turf runway marked by yellow cones, according to pilot resource website AirNav.com.
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(Courtesy | Bruce Ward) A photo taken from a plane leaving William "Tiny" Zehnder Field near Frankenmuth shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, July 3, 2016, shows the site of a plane crash that left two people dead, according to police. By Mark Tower | mtower@mlive.com
on July 03, 2016 at 7:05 PM, updated July 03, 2016 at 10:59 PM
FRANKENMUTH, MI — Two people were killed in a plane crash Sunday, July 3, at an airport near Frankenmuth, according to Police Chief Don Mawer.
Mawer said police received the report of a plane crash near William "Tiny" Zehnder Field southeast of Frankenmuth after 5 p.m. Sunday.
The chief said officers at the scene have confirmed two people died in the crash, though the victims have yet to be identified.
Police are also searching the site to see if there are any additional victims of the crash, Mawer said.
He said the plane that crashed was registered to a hanger at the airport, located along South Block Road.
"So we're thinking that it's local to the area or at least this portion of the county," Mawer said.
Police remained at the small Saginaw County airport after 7 p.m. Sunday.
No further information about the crash is available at this time. Check back for updates.
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Date:
| 03-JUL-2016 | |
| Time: | 17:00+ |
| Type: | Airplane |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | |
| C/n / msn: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Unknown |
| Location: | Wm 'Tiny' Zehnder Field Airport (66G), Frankenmuth, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | |
The aircraft impacted the terrain at Wm 'Tiny' Zehnder Field Airport (66G), Frankenmuth, Michigan. The airplane sustained unreported damage and the two occupants onboard received fatal injuries.
Sources: http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/07/police_two_killed_in_plane_cra.html