Missing plane found in southern Michigan with pilot dead at crash site

DOWAGIAC, Mich. (AP) — A home-built plane that had been missing for four days in southern Michigan has been found along with the body of the 83-year-old pilot, police said Thursday.

The plane, which was missing since Sunday afternoon was spotted by a Michigan State Police helicopter in woods about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of Dowagiac on Thursday afternoon, the Dowogiac Police Department said.

Police identified the deceased pilot as Richard Martin and said his body was discovered at the crash site.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, investigators said.

Authorities had been searching for Martin and his small, home-built Sonex plane since he failed to return after taking off from Dowagiac Municipal Airport around 11 a.m. Sunday.