Mackinac County, Michigan — July 13, 2010 — A plane crash on a Michigan Upper Peninsula interstate has claimed the lives of three teenage girls (Rikki Menora, 16; Rachel Menora, 14; and Sara Klein, 17) and their grandfather, 73-year-old Moshe Menora, of Skokie, Illinois. The only survivor of the crash, Mr. Menora’s 13-year-old grandson, Yossi Menora, is said to have suffered burns to half his body.
According to authorities, Mr. Menora had been piloting the twin engine Beechcraft, and had yet to reach 1,000 feet in altitude, when he began to experience problems. At the time of this report, there was no indication if the small airport outside of Chicago, where Mr. Menora departed, or the Mackinac County Airport, where he was destined to arrive, had received any distress calls prior to the crash.
The plane ultimately went down on I-75, striking a median barrier, then flipping, before coming to a stop on the interstate’s shoulder. The location of the accident was approximately 250 miles northwest of Detroit.
“He just wanted to do something with the children for a few hours,” Sema Menora, his widow, said. “They wanted to go in the plane. It was a special treat and he was a very skilled pilot.”
According to statements from the family, 13-year-old Yossi had been sitting in the rear of the plane at takeoff, and that the plane had actually spilt in two at the time of impact. It is uncertain if Yossi’s position on the plane had any relevance with regard to his survival.
As is customary with any aviation disaster, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting an official investigation into the cause of the crash.
At the time of this report, FindMyAccident was unable to determine a specific location for this accident. The location of this accident icon serves as an estimate until we receive further notification.
