Elkhart man dies in Niles plane crash

Published 8:29 am Sunday, January 27, 2013

A 50-year-old Elkhart, Ind., man is dead after a plane crash north of Niles Saturday afternoon.

Christopher McKenna was piloting an Ultra Lite aircraft, which crashed in a wooded field east of Clark Street in Niles Township at around 4 p.m., according to the Michigan State Police.

At around 5:10 p.m., Cass County dispatch requested assistance from the Michigan State Police to help search for a possible crash involving an Ultra Lite single seat aircraft last seen north of the Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport in Niles. At about 5:50 p.m., the wreckage was located by citizens and emergency personnel searching the area on foot. The lone pilot was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and will be conducted by the FAA based out of South Bend, Ind.