The last update for the weekend, MSP is suspending recovery operations till Tuesday

Dear all,

We received a call from the detective in charge of our case with the MSP. They are suspending search operations for the weekend. Due to very light currents in the waters they have searched, they remain confident that this will not impact the continuance of the recovery effort on Tuesday.

They are searching what we estimate to be a 2-1/2 by 1 mile swath, mostly north of the South Channel of Mackinac Straits and centered about 5 miles northwest of Cheboygan, between Point Nipigon on the Lower Peninsula and Zola Point on Bois Blanc Island. On the west end of the swath is where a witness thinks the plane hit the water, and on the east end is where the Univ. of Mich. drift charts suggest the plane may be. No other debris has washed up.

We were informed that they will have to reassess the likelihood of discovering the remains of the crash, as even 48 hours ago, their success rate only hovered around 50%. They have been searching a vast area of water at great depth and under adverse weather and water conditions.

The children of Brooke wish to thank all well wishers in the guestbook, and we think we can speak on behalf of Karen's mother and say the same. We are looking forward to a weekend where every phone call is not so fraught with expectation, good or bad, and wish everyone a relaxing and quiet holiday weekend.

Still awaiting news, there are some new pictures up

Good morning everyone,

No new news this morning. Gregory's girlfriend, Caroline, uploaded some recent photo's of Karen and Brooke's visits down to Charlotte, NC. Click on their photo at the top of this blog to see them.

Anyone who is looking for memorial service information, keep your eyes here. We will announce on the blog any information pertinent to that. There are no concrete plans, yet--though once Kathleen and her husband come into town, we will make some decisions.

The MSP are still looking

Good morning all,

I talked to the State Police this morning and there is no news. He said the sonar band is only 200 feet wide and moves at about 5 miles per hour. They are covering an area 2-1/2 miles wide, so it is slow going.

Love to you all,
Kathleen

From Karen's website - some ad work she did to promote her business

I thought that this PDF that Karen put together to promote her business would give many of you a real sense of the amazing and driven person she was. Her passion really was flying, and that was something that Brooke shared enthusiastically with her.

Her website: doddsdesign.com

More links to news stories I found today

Nothing new to report today. These are the most recent headlines.

More debris located; weather slows search
http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2007/08/30/news/news5.txt

A Detailed "after the fact" Overview of CAP efforts with names of those involved:
http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2007/08/30/news/news06.txt

Yet another recent rehash from the Detroit News:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/METRO/708300366/1003

News story claims that the search for the missing plane is over. (This is NOT true. What they mean is that the CAP has stopped looking after debris was found on Monday, and they realized the plane was somewhere in the lake. They are still searching for the whole plane which we assume is under water. Once the CAP decided there was nothing to find on land they suspended their exhaustive and diligent search so the MSP could look underwater.)
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070829/NEWS01/308290022

Karen was a proud member of DC Web Women and they sent us this note

Karen was a proud member of DC Web Women, a professional organization for women interested in new media in the Washington DC Metropolitan area. I recently hired one of their members to work with me at AICR, and Karen talked about them often.

They just sent me this note:

Sad news to report...

Karen Dodds, graphic designer and long-time DC Web Woman, is missing and presumed dead after the small plane she was flying failed to arrive at Mackinac Island, Michigan Friday afternoon. She had planned a sightseeing trip with her fiance and ran into bad weather.

Those who knew Karen might wish to read a blog that has been set up to track any news:

http://karenandbrooke.blogspot.com/

Please join me in remembering Karen as someone who loved the web and was always willing to offer help and advice to our community.

--Emma

Brooke's office (NECA) posted a notice on their website

This is the notice posted on NECA's website:

August 28, 2007

NECA Standards Director Brooke Stauffer And Fiancee Missing

We regret to inform you that Brooke Stauffer, NECA’s executive director of standards and safety, and his fiancée Karen Dodds are missing after the small, single-engine plane they were flying in on Friday apparently went down over Lake Huron. Some debris from the aircraft was reportedly found yesterday on the beach at Bois Blanc Island.

Brooke and Karen had been vacationing on Mackinac Island. On Friday afternoon, they set out from the small airport there to Bad Axe, Michigan, with Karen piloting the plane. The plan was to visit her family in the area and the flight should have taken about two hours. They never arrived.

A massive search took place over the weekend. The Michigan Wing of the U.S. Civil Air Patrol, based in Gaylord, the U.S. Coast Guard out of Detroit, and the Royal Canadian Coast Guard were all involved in the effort. The search continues today with the use of divers in the area where the wreckage was discovered.

We will provide an update when more information is known. In the meantime, you may click here (http://karenandbrooke.blogspot.com/) to read the blog being maintained by Brooke’s oldest son, Christian.

Brooke joined NECA’s national headquarters staff in June 1995. His duties include overseeing the development of our series of National Installation Standards and safety resources. He is also chairman of the National Fire Protection Association's Electrical Section, which has overall responsibility for the National Electrical Code, and he is a principal on Code-Making Panel 1, NFPA. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brooke and Karen and their families.