Three people were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard today after their small aircraft crashed into Lake Michigan.
OAK CREEK, WI (MILWAUKEE COUNTY) | *AIRCRAFT CRASH* | 11060 S CHICAGO RD | SEARCHING REPORTED 3 PASSENGERS FROM AN AIRCRAFT DOWN IN THE WATER AT LAKE MICHIGAN NEAR THE WE ENERGIES POWER PLANT WHERE UNITS ARE STAGED-BOAT AND DIVE TEAMS LAUNCHED #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/xLGVJbycUY
— Alertpage, Inc (@alertpage) September 11, 2025
The aircraft departed Milwaukee's Mitchell International at 12:17 pm and FlightAware reported the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of speed about 12 minutes into the flight. The plane then had a significant drop in altitude, with its last recorded position putting it at about 7,000 feet in the air.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued three people after a small plane went into Lake Michigan near Wind Point on Thursday.https://t.co/B8WVieXjU4
— TMJ4 News (@tmj4) September 11, 2025
After losing speed and altitude, the plane landed in Lake Michigan near Wind Point, approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast of Racine, a city 30 minutes south of Milwaukee.
TMJ4 reported that a "Coast Guard spokesperson said the agency received a call from air traffic control about the emergency. A Coast Guard boat responded to the scene, along with an aircraft from Traverse City, Michigan."
A spokesperson for Mitchell Airport also issued a statement:
At approximately 12:17PM, a Cirrus SR22 aircraft departed MKE for a flight to Michigan, but encountered a problem in flight and ended up in the waters of Lake Michigan at approximately 12:37PM, approximately 20 miles east of Bender Park. The aircraft is a small single-engine propeller plane. Three people were on board. We do not know the nature of the emergency. The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead responding authority, being assisted by numerous other rescue and dive teams. Additional questions on the status of the rescue or the individuals on board should be directed to the U.S. Coast Guard. Operations at MKE Airport are not being affected.
The Coast Guard boat responded to the scene as well as an aircraft from Traverse, Michigan. News reports said all three passengers were wearing life jackets and no injuries were reported.
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