Wreckage from plane that crashed 20 YEARS ago is finally found in Michigan forest but the pilot and his wife remain missing presumed dead

  • Mark Davies, 45, and his wife Janet disappeared during September 1997 flight 
  • The remnants of Davies' plane have been found at the Hiawatha National Forest
  • Search for plane had been made difficult because couple did not file flight plan 
  • The search was called off after four days and they were legally presumed dead  

The wreckage from a small plane carrying a husband and wife has been found in a Michigan forest more than 20 years after it first disappeared.

Mystery has surrounded what happened to Mark Davies and his wife Janet after they set off for Howell from Drummond Island on the afternoon of September 14, 1997. 

But it appears their family may finally get some answers after remnants of a plane were found in the Hiawatha National Forest on Wednesday. 

Forest personnel found wreckage of the single-engine airplane in the Upper Peninsula and reported the registration number. 

Wreckage from a plane that disappeared more than 20 years ago has been found in a Michigan forest. The plane was being piloted by Mark Davies, who was accompanied by his wife Janet

Wreckage from a plane that disappeared more than 20 years ago has been found in a Michigan forest. The plane was being piloted by Mark Davies, who was accompanied by his wife Janet

The number was then matched to the same aircraft that Davies flew on that fateful day in September. 

Davies, 45, and Janet had been heading home to Howell about 300 miles away from the island in Lake Huron before the crash, according to the Detroit Free Press

But the couple did not file a flight plan, which made searching for the aircraft 'like trying to find a needle in a haystack', Lt Col Tom Dickinson said at the time. 

At the time of the crash, a friend of Davies said he normally flew 'direct GPS' and was 'known to experience vertigo easily', according to the original report. 

Pilots had also reported that day that the weather 'went down to 200 feet overcast'. 

The plane was last seeing flying 20 to 25 miles south before turning 180 degrees and disappearing from the Toronto Air Route Traffic Control Center's radar.

After a four day search by the Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol, it was presumed that the plane had been destroyed and that Davies and Janet 'sustained fatal injuries'. 

Forest personnel found wreckage of the single-engine airplane in the Upper Peninsula and reported the registration number, which matched Davies' plane 

Forest personnel found wreckage of the single-engine airplane in the Upper Peninsula and reported the registration number, which matched Davies' plane 

'The whole thing was such a big mystery when it happened,' Amy Knoy, a former colleague of Davies, told the paper. 

'Then everyone forgot about it and they were declared legally dead. I'm glad they found it, it answers a lot of questions.' 

Knoy said that Davies had loved flying and would get in the air any time he had the chance.  

Linda Smith, Janet's sister, said she had loved flying with her husband and that they dreamed of one day retiring at Drummond Island. The couple had no children. 

An investigation into the crash will be led by the National Transportation Safety Board and also include the airplane and engine manufacturers, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently assessing how to remove the wreckage from Hiawatha National Forest (pictured) 

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently assessing how to remove the wreckage from Hiawatha National Forest (pictured) 

The NTSB is currently assessing the location of the wreckage and the logistics necessary to remove and investigate it.

'It is in Hiawatha National Forest, in a pretty remove area,' said NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss. 'It's a situation where the investigator can't just go to the scene.' 

'The wreckage has to be removed to an area where we can review and look at it.' 

'Now we can address this case and hopefully come to some closure for the families and community.' 

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