2007-08-26: First email from Karen's Mom

I received this from email Karen's Mom on Saturday, August 25, 2007 2:46 PM

Christian,

If you've been trying to reach your Dad by cell phone unsuccessfully, here's why.

Brooke and Karen left here (Muskegon area) Wednesday to fly up to Mackinac Island (at the tip of the Michigan mitt) for two days. On Friday afternoon, they planned to fly down to The Thumb of Michigan to my brother's place (Bill & Doranne). They called Bill to say they were starting around 1:00-1:15 pm, and that they would arrive around 3:00-3:30 pm. Bill and Doranne were there at 3:00 and waited until 4:30 pm and the plane did not arrive -- and still has not arrived.

Karen's plan was to fly low over the water (about 500 feet) so they could see the dunes, shoreline, etc. Unfortunately, just about the time they planned to take off, there was a bad weather cell in what would have been the middle of their route. Karen did have about three-quarters of a tank of gas (= about three hours of flying).

By the time we got worried last evening, all the flight offices at the nearby airports were closed. So I started calling at 8 o'clock this morning and have been on the phone ever since. I have called the Mackinac Island airport -- the plane is not there. I have called five or six nearby airports that she could have landed at, and she is not there. I have called the Coast Guard and they have no report of a plane in the water. I have also filed an official Missing Plane report with the FAA. I called the State Police, but they have handed it off to the CG and FAA as they have larger resources. We understand the Civil Air Patrol is also looking for them. I talked to the national Flight Service; Karen did not file a flight plan for her flight from Muskegon to Mackinac Island, which I knew, as, again, she was going to fly over the shoreline. And she also did not file a flight plan on Friday, and has not filed one yet today.

If you have tried to reach your Dad or Karen, you know the call goes right to voice mail, which means the phone is either out of service or turned off. I know that if she could, if she were in trouble, the first thing Karen would do would be to reach for her cell phone. I have also sent an email to her with no reply to present.

I have also talked to George, Karen's partner in the plane, and the airport at Gaithersburg, out of which they fly. I am told she cannot get into the restricted airspace without a flight plan, so the minute she files, we all will know of it.

We all are waiting and hoping for a good resolution.

Love,
Kathleen