Tom Phillips
ST. IGNACE, Mich. - An executive with Amazon.com was one of two people killed when the single-engine plane they were flying in disappeared Saturday night in the Straits of Mackinac.
The Coast Guard's Cleveland office told WDIV-Detroit that the plane failed to arrive as expected about 8 p.m. at Mackinac Island after leaving St. Ignace in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. The flight is only about 4.5 miles and should have taken just six minutes.
One of the missing men was identified Sunday as Tom Phillips, who was an executive for Amazon.com. Joe Pann, a man in his late 20s, was also on the plane. Both men are reportedly from northern Michigan.
The Coast Guard said its crews and other federal, state and local agencies were involved in the search of northern Lake Huron. The plane was a Piper Saratoga.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Phillips, described as being in his late fifties, previously worked at Microsoft from 1992 to 2010, according to his profile on Linkedin.
ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard says searchers have found the wreckage of a single-engine plane that disappeared in the Straits of Mackinac with two men aboard. It says both passengers were killed. The Coast Guard's Cleveland office says the plane left St. Ignace in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Saturday night, bound for Mackinac Island. The planned flight is about 4.5 miles and six minutes. In a statement Sunday, the Coast Guard said the plane failed to arrive as expected about 8 p.m. On board were Tom Phillips and Joe Pann. The Coast Guard says searchers found the wreckage Sunday afternoon on the Lake Huron shore, about three miles north of St.Ignace. The Coast Guard says Phillips was in his 50s and Pann in his 20s. Both were from northern Michigan.
News Release
Date: December 4, 2011
CLEVELAND — Coast Guard units, joined by federal, state and local agencies, are searching Lake Huron this morning for two people in a single-engine plane that left St. Ignace, Mich., and should have reached its destination on Mackinaw Island last night.
Missing are: Joe Pann, in his late twenties; and Tom Phillips, in his late fifties. The men are reportedly from St. Ignace or Mackinaw Island, but more information will be released when it is confirmed.
Search and rescue controllers at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., were contacted by a Michigan State Police 911 dispatcher at 10:07 p.m. Saturday, after the dispatcher was called by a concerned family member reporting the men overdue.
The reporting source stated that the men departed St. Ignace en route to Mackinaw Island that evening in a Piper Saratoga and were expected to arrive at about 8 p.m. The flight is only about 4.5 miles and should have taken only about six minutes.
The plane is not emitting any emergency beacon, but specialists with the cellular phone provider of one of the men are using their towers to determine the possible path of his phone, which may lead to their location. So far, this search has yielded pings from both the land and the water. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center is coordinating the on-land search efforts, while search and rescue controllers at the 9th Coast Guard District are coordinating the search on the water.
After being notified, SAR controllers at the 9th District Command Center directed the launch of a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station St. Ignace which were on scene at about 11 p.m. aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat. They also directed the launch of a rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., which was on scene at about 11:30 p.m. aboard an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter.
The MLB crew from St. Ignace searched for about six hours before reaching maximum hours for crew fatigue and were directed to return to base. The Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock is currently making preparations to get underway from Cheboygan, Mich., to resume the surface search.
The rescue helicopter crew also met their fatigue limits, departing the scene at about 5 a.m., and were replaced by a second Air Station Traverse City crew at about 5:45 a.m.
A rescue aircrew aboard an HU-25 Guardian rescue airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass, was also directed to launch and has arrived on scene.
Participating in the search have been crews from the Mackinaw Island Fire Department and the St. Ignace Police Department.
Missing are: Joe Pann, in his late twenties; and Tom Phillips, in his late fifties. The men are reportedly from St. Ignace or Mackinaw Island, but more information will be released when it is confirmed.
Search and rescue controllers at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., were contacted by a Michigan State Police 911 dispatcher at 10:07 p.m. Saturday, after the dispatcher was called by a concerned family member reporting the men overdue.
The reporting source stated that the men departed St. Ignace en route to Mackinaw Island that evening in a Piper Saratoga and were expected to arrive at about 8 p.m. The flight is only about 4.5 miles and should have taken only about six minutes.
The plane is not emitting any emergency beacon, but specialists with the cellular phone provider of one of the men are using their towers to determine the possible path of his phone, which may lead to their location. So far, this search has yielded pings from both the land and the water. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center is coordinating the on-land search efforts, while search and rescue controllers at the 9th Coast Guard District are coordinating the search on the water.
After being notified, SAR controllers at the 9th District Command Center directed the launch of a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station St. Ignace which were on scene at about 11 p.m. aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat. They also directed the launch of a rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., which was on scene at about 11:30 p.m. aboard an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter.
The MLB crew from St. Ignace searched for about six hours before reaching maximum hours for crew fatigue and were directed to return to base. The Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock is currently making preparations to get underway from Cheboygan, Mich., to resume the surface search.
The rescue helicopter crew also met their fatigue limits, departing the scene at about 5 a.m., and were replaced by a second Air Station Traverse City crew at about 5:45 a.m.
A rescue aircrew aboard an HU-25 Guardian rescue airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass, was also directed to launch and has arrived on scene.
Participating in the search have been crews from the Mackinaw Island Fire Department and the St. Ignace Police Department.
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The single-engine plane left St. Ignace Saturday night and was expected to land on Mackinaw Island. The flight was only supposed to be 4.5 miles and should have taken about six minutes.
The missing men have been identified as Tom Phillips, who is believed to be an executive for Amazon.com. Joe Pann, a man in his late twenties, was also on the plane.
Search and rescue controllers were contacted by a Michigan State Police dispatcher Saturday night, after the dispatcher was called by a concerned family member.
The plane is not emitting an emergency beacon, but specialists are using cell phone towers to determine the possible path of a cell phone belonging to one of the men.
The search has yielded pings from both the land and the water.
------------------------ Coast Guard units, joined by federal, state and local agencies, are searching Lake Huron this morning for two people in a single-engine plane that left St. Ignace, Mich., and should have reached its destination on Mackinaw Island last night.
Missing are: Joe Pann, in his late twenties; and Tom Phillips, in his late fifties. The men are reportedly from St. Ignace or Mackinaw Island, but more information will be released when it is confirmed.
Search and rescue controllers at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. , were contacted by a Michigan State Police 911 dispatcher at 10:07 p.m. Saturday, after the dispatcher was called by a concerned family member reporting the men overdue.
The reporting source stated that the men departed St. Ignace en route to Mackinaw Island that evening in a Piper Saratoga and were expected to arrive at about 8 p.m. The flight is only about 4.5 miles and should have taken only about six minutes.
The plane is not emitting any emergency beacon, but specialists with the cellular phone provider of one of the men are using their towers to determine the possible path of his phone, which may lead to their location. So far, this search has yielded pings from both the land and the water. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center is coordinating the on-land search efforts, while search and rescue controllers at the 9th Coast Guard District are coordinating the search on the water.
After being notified, SAR controllers at the 9th District Command Center directed the launch of a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station St. Ignace47-foot Motor Life Boat . which were on scene at about 11 p.m. aboard a They also directed the launch of a rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich. , which was on scene at about 11:30 p.m. aboard an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter .
The MLB crew from St. Ignace searched for about six hours before reaching maximum hours for crew fatigue and were directed to return to base. The Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock is currently making preparations to get underway from Cheboygan, Mich., to resume the surface search.
The rescue helicopter crew also met their fatigue limits, departing the scene at about 5 a.m., and were replaced by a second Air Station Traverse City crew at about 5:45 a.m.
A rescue aircrew aboard an HU-25 Guardian rescue airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass , was also directed to launch and has arrived on scene.
Participating in the search have been crews from the Mackinaw Island Fire Department and the St. Ignace Police Department.
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