Accident occurred Friday, November 28, 2014 in Berrien Springs, MI
Aircraft: PIPER PA 24-250, registration: N5897P
NTSB investigators will use data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator, and will not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
"It sounded like a big snowplow, only louder," said Robinson, who lives in the 400 block of Bluff Street. "It sounded like a plane going through the trees."
A second after hearing the noise outside, power went out. That's when Robinson, a former pilot, knew something was wrong and went outside to investigate.
"We immediately lost power, it took down power lines," Robinson said. "That's when I went outside and saw the plane. It came over the river, it went right through the trees on the top of the river bank and stopped about six feet short of a house."
Robinson said that he didn't hear any engine noise prior to impact and he didn't observe any leaking fuel around the wreckage.
"That was my biggest concern, besides for the people on board," he said. "I don't know if they ran out of fuel or what. There was no fuel leaking around the crash. I think he was trying to make it to Andrews (Airpark) in Berrien. I had heard no engine noise."
The crumpled aircraft, a Piper PA-24 Comanche, had four people aboard.
Two people in the aircraft suffered serious injuries and two people suffered minor injuries, said Rick Smiedendorf, chief of the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department.
The aircraft was headed from Richmond, Ind., to the Andrews University Airpark for a family gathering in the Berrien Springs area, according to a news release issued late Friday afternoon from the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department.
The Piper Comanche was being piloted by Bryce Fisher of Richmond. He was in the plane with his his father, Dr. William Fisher of Richmond, who owned the plane and was acting as co-pilot.
Also aboard were William Fisher's wife, Barbara, and Bryce Fisher's girlfriend, Miritha Morales of DeKalb, Ill.
William Fisher and his wife, both 70, were seriously injured in the crash.
As of 3:15 p.m. Friday, the wreckage of the aircraft was being removed from the scene, Robinson said. Seeing one of the wings being loaded on to a trailer, he noticed that the aircraft's retractable landing gear did not appear to have been extended.
"It was a low-wing aircraft," Robinson said. "It did have retractable gear on it. The gear appeared to be still up."
This incident is still under investigation, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said.
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A single-engine plane crashed Friday morning at 11:12 a.m. behind a home in the 400 block of North Bluff in Berrien Springs, according to Berrien County dispatch.
Police sent out a report that evening stating that the pilot of the plane was Bryce Fisher who was flying with three passengers.
The first passenger and co-pilot was his father, Dr. William Fisher, who owned the plane. The other passengers were Barbara Fisher, wife of Dr. Fisher and Miritha Morales, girlfriend of Bryce.
According to reports all by Morales are from Richmond, IN, she is from Dekalb, IL.
The passengers were out and walking around when responders arrived and the pilot was trapped in the plane and had to be extricated.
We were told all four occupants are now in the hospital. Two of them appear to be in serious condition.
The FAA will be taking over the investigation.
We're told four homes in the neighborhood lost power because I&M had to cut lines in order to free up the plane to be removed.
None of the surrounding houses, however, were damaged by the plane which landed just five to six feet away from the nearest home, according to reports.
The plane was headed from Richmond, Indiana to Andrews for a family holiday function, we're told.
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http://registry.faa.gov/N5897P
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