Beaver Island, MI - 11-Year-Old Sole Survivor of Commuter Plane Crash at Welke Airport

Beaver Island, MI (November 18, 2021) - An 11-year-old girl was the lone survivor of an airplane crash that killed her dad and three other people on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan on Saturday, November 13th.

A twin-engine Britton-Norman BN-2 aircraft, which departed from Charlevoix, went down while attempting to land at Welke Airport at about 1:30 p.m.

An official from the Federal Aviation Administration said that a helicopter crew from the Great Lakes Coast Guard was training in the area and was able to respond to an emergency call from the island. 

The critically injured girl and her father, Mike Perdue, both residents of Gaylord, were airlifted to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey. Perdue was pronounced dead a short while later. The girl’s current condition is unknown.

Two of the other victims have been identified as Beaver Island residents Adam Kendall and Kate Leese 

The name of the pilot is being withheld pending family notification. 

The cause of this accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA.

We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased victims at this time. Our thoughts are with the injured victim and her family in hopes of a full recovery.

Aviation Accidents in Michigan

With an aviation community that includes cargo planes, private planes, commercial airliners, mail planes, recreational airliners, and seaplanes, aircraft are a common sight in Michigan skies. 

Due to the extensive levels of training and discipline required to earn a pilot’s license, combined with the substantial maintenance criteria mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, and rapidly-growing aeronautic technology, planes are one of the safest ways to travel. 

Unfortunately, pilots, crew members, manufacturers, and even passengers are not immune to error. As a result, disastrous circumstances involving injury and death to innocent victims can occur. Legal claims concerning these catastrophes are especially complicated so hiring an aviation accident law firm that has the knowledge and experience you need is critical.

Beaver Island Aviation Accident Lawyers

The attorneys at the Michigan Legal Center have taken on numerous aviation-related accidents involving personal injury as well as wrongful death claims on behalf of grieving families. Our Beaver Island personal injury attorneys know first-hand the nuances and complex dynamics of aviation law and dedicate our time and effort to ensuring that our clients are fully compensated. 

Any aviation accident, whether it involves a commercial or private aircraft, demands thorough and immediate investigation. This usually means working with investigators from the FAA. 

Although the government conducts thorough inquiries into most aviation accidents, injured victims or their surviving family members still need to seek prompt and competent legal counsel from a reputable Beaver Island aviation accident lawyer.  

If you were injured or a family member was killed in an aviation accident you believe was due to negligence, contact our Michigan personal injury attorneys at (248) 886-8650 for a review of your potential case.

Note: Our firm utilized outside sources when creating this post. We have not independently verified the facts regarding this accident. If you find information that is incorrect, contact Christopher Trainor & Associates immediately so that we correct the post to reflect the most accurate information available about the accident. This post can be removed upon request.  

Disclaimer: This information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice. The photograph used in this post was not taken at the actual accident scene. This post is not a solicitation for business.