Plane that crashed in Manistee County was headed to Silver Lake

Contributed photo

SPRINGDALE TOWNSHIP, Manistee County — A plane that crashed in Manistee County was headed to Silver Lake in Oceana County Sunday morning, Sept. 7, according to Manistee County Sheriff Brian Gutowski.

The single-engine plane that landed nose first in some trees was carrying one passenger and a pilot. The passenger, who is a 49-year-old Beulah woman, received minor injuries and the pilot, who is a 53-year-old Beulah man, was not injured.

“On Sept. 7, 2025, at 9:39 a.m., deputies from the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to investigate a report of a plane crash in the 18000 block of Tomasek Road in Springdale Township,” states a press release from Sheriff Gutowski. “Initial reports to Manistee County Central Dispatch indicated the pilot and passenger had exited the plane following the crash. 

“Responding personnel from Cleon Township Fire confirmed there was a single-engine aircraft wedged in a tree and leaking fuel. The aircraft did not catch fire at any time during the incident. Hazardous materials management personnel were requested and responded from Grand Traverse Metro Fire. 

“Mobile Medical Response EMS was requested to evaluate the female passenger, a 49-year-old Beulah resident, due to a complaint of leg pain and possible loss of consciousness. She was evaluated at the scene and not transported to the hospital.

Contributed photo

“The uninjured pilot, a 53-year-old Beulah resident, was interviewed by a Manistee County Sheriff’s Office detective. The pilot indicated they had departed the Thompsonville airport en route to Silver Lake. Shortly after taking off, the pilot stated that the aircraft experienced an electrical issue which caused an engine failure. The pilot was attempting to land in a nearby field when the plane crashed.”

The sheriff said the pilot was headed to Silver Lake in Oceana County.

Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the crash, he said. 

The Manistee County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Cleon Township Fire, Grand Traverse Metro Fire, MMR EMS, Thompsonville EMS, Manistee County Emergency Management, and Manistee County Central Dispatch. 

_____________________

Please Support Local News

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. 

Payment can be made monthly via credit card, bank account, PayPal or Venmo through recurring email invoicing. These payments can be set up for autopay each month. 

To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address. 

Alternative methods:

• We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation. 

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.