 |
| Pilot Assistant District Attorney Ronald S. Dague presumed dead after he crashed his Piper PA-32R Lance plane into the waters of Lake Huron shortly after takeoff from Mackinac County Airport, St. Ignace, Michigan |
Piper PA-32R Lance
====================================
Milwaukee County prosecutor lost his life in plane crash in Mackinac County Friday
Posted 8:02 pm, September 1, 2018, by Aaron Maybin, Updated at 10:19PM, September 3, 2018
MACKINAC COUNTY, MI --
A Wisconsin pilot, who was an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee, crashed a plane into a Michigan lake on Friday, Aug. 31 -- and lost his life.
Ronald Dague, presumed dead
Officials with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office identified him as Ronald Dague, 64. Mackinac County sheriff's officials said he was from East Troy.
Below is a statement from John Chisholm -- Milwaukee County district attorney:
"Tragically, we learned that our colleague Assistant District Attorney Ronald S. Dague lost his life in an airplane accident last Friday night. Ron was a valued member of our General Crimes Unit and served with distinction in many capacities in the District Attorney’s Office since 1992.
On behalf of the District Attorney’s Office and all our colleagues in the criminal justice system, I extend my deepest condolences to Ron’s family and friends at this difficult time. Ron was a gifted trial attorney, a devoted student of the law, and a passionate defender of equity, fairness, and justice. His advocacy helped build a safer community for everyone living in Milwaukee County.
At a personal level, Ron was a devoted husband and father who deeply loved his family and his absence will be keenly felt. Please keep his wife and young daughter in your prayers. It was an honor to serve the public alongside Ron, and I wish his family peace at this most difficult and challenging time.
I appreciate the professionalism and courtesy extended to the office and Ron’s family by the Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard. The family has asked that their privacy be respected as they mourn their loss."
Dague was Milwaukee County's most experienced drunk driving prosecutor.
"The most complicated area of law and science that I've handled in my 23-year career," said Dague.
In 2013, he talked with the FOX6 Investigators about the failure to enforce ignition interlock devices.
"We have yet to be able to successfully prosecute even one case in Milwaukee County. So none," said Dague.
According to the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office, shortly after 9:45 p.m., the plane crashed in Lake Huron -- that's in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
We're told the plane took off from the Mackinac County Airport shortly before and was heading to Mackinac Island.
Mackinac County Airport
Residents reported seeing the plane flying low and then they heard the impact.
Dague was the only one on board at the time.
A search was conducted over the weekend, involving the sheriff's office, U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police. A police dive team was using sonar equipment in the search.
Sheriff's officials said the engine and main cabin of the plane were located Sunday. The pilot wasn't inside. Officials said recovery efforts continue for the pilot's remains and other debris.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating.
September 1, 2018
Jim LeHocky
“We narrowed [the search] down to a debris field north of Mackinac Island.”
Crews are working to locate a plane in Lake Huron.
Investigators say the plane went down moments after taking off from Mackinac County Airport in St. Ignace.
The Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office says a Wisconsin man was the only person on board when it crashed.
The airport manager tells us the plane took off around 9:50 p.m. Friday.
He says the man was on his way to Mackinac Island to pick up a group of people, then head back to Wisconsin.
Nearby residents say the plane was flying low and turned onto its side before they heard the impact.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the lack of moonlight can create problems for pilots.
“The moon had not come up yet, so it was really dark over the water,” said Jason Evans of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. “Really black and really dark. It’s really tough to make out the horizon when you’re looking east.”
Numerous law enforcement agencies are helping with the search.
Michigan State Police is using sonar to help find the plane and pilot.
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted the waters of Lake Huron shortly after takeoff from Mackinac County Airport (83D), St. Ignace, Michigan. The aircraft is missing and presumed destroyed and the sole pilot onboard is presumed to have been fatally injured.
Sources:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/09/01/wisconsin-man-suspected-dead-after-likely-plane-crash-lake-huron/1175419002/?from=new-cookie
https://www.9and10news.com/2018/09/01/crews-searching-for-plane-after-apparent-crash-in-lake-huron/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/09/02/plane-crash-lake-huron-mackinac-island/1180424002/?from=new-cookie
| Date: | 01-SEP-2018 |
| Time: | 21:50 |
| Type: | Piper PA-32R Lance |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | |
| C/n / msn: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Location: | Lake Huron near Mackinac County Airport (83D), St Ignace, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Mackinac County (83D) |
| Mackinac Island (KMCD) |