University of Michigan Health System Crash

Location: Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
Date: June 4, 007
Aircraft: Cessna Citation

A Cessna Citation leased by the University of Michigan Health System crashed on June 4, 2007, in Lake Michigan, approximately six miles outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The six individuals killed on board were on a lifesaving transplant mission that would take them from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, to Willow Run airport, near Detroit, Michigan; approximately a 42-minute flight. Tragically, their mission was cut short, and went down approximately five minutes after takeoff.

The plane carried two surgeons, two transplant specialists from the University of Michigan Health System, and two Marlin Air pilots who regularly flew transplant missions for the University.  Within five minutes of takeoff, one of the pilots declared an emergency and requested a return to General Mitchell International Airport. Immediately following that emergency request, the aircraft lost radar contact and the Coast Guard was contacted. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the aircraft may have experienced pitch trim runaway, which could have caused the rapid descent.

Only small pieces of the wreckage have been found, however, the remains and condition of the aircraft debris found indicate that the aircraft impacted Lake Michigan at a high speed, possibly traveling between 185 and 190 miles per hour.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated this tragic accident. The Motley Rice aviation team is reviewing this crash and any legal responsibility that Cessna, Pratt & Whitney Canada, or the registered owner of the aircraft Toy Air, LLC, may have to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy. Motley Rice has extensively litigated cases of aircraft with pitch trim problems such as pitch trim runaway and pitch trim reversal due to pitch trim maintenance procedures.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death or personal injury as a result of this crash, please contact Motley Rice aviation attorney and former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo by email or call +1 800.868.6456.