Man seeks help finding Michigan plane crash site after parents disappeared in 1977
John Block Sr. and Jean Block were last seen flying their green and white Cessna plane (Photo: Pioneer Inspection Services LLC)
LUZERNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man hopes that people who are outdoors this fall in northern Michigan can help look for his parents' plane after the couple disappeared in 1977.
John Block's father John Block Sr. and mother Jean Block were last known to be flying in their green and white Cessna 150J.
The couple left the Berz-Macomb Airport around 11:10 a.m. July 4, 1977, with plans to fly to Lost Creek Sky Ranch in Luzerne, Mich. They did not file a flight plan, but the flight should have taken about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
However, they did not make it. Block Sr., who had been flying for 23 years, had only flown the route he planned to take twice before.
Now, Block is asking hunters and anyone else who may be in the Huron National Forest or the Atlanta State Forest to keep an eye out for plane wreckage.
"Please help me find my parents and bring them home," he said.
The plane had a tail number of N50935 and international orange-colored wing tips because it was in the process of being converted into a search and rescue plane.
It is believed that Block Sr. would have avoided going over the Saginaw Bay because he avoided flying over water. He most likely flew a route that followed I-75 north to M-33.
At 1 p.m., Block Sr. called on the radio and asked for a car to be ready at Lost Creek. No other radio communications, including distress calls, were received. It is believed that navigation errors caused the Blocks to crash within 30 miles of Lost Creek.
After 24 hours had passed since the plane was supposed to arrive, searches began, but nothing was found.
Read more stories from around Michigan here.
The hull of the plane should still be identifiable because it was made with an aluminum fuselage, which doesn't rust. Because of this, people are urged to look for the crash.
If you find the crash site, do not touch anything. Instead, contact Det. Jason Polzien with the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office or email searchfortheblocks@gmail.com.
See what the wreckage could look like and learn more: