Small plane crash into Lake Michigan off Wind Point, 3 rescued

Lake Michigan small plane crash, 3 rescued

Three people were rescued after their plane crashed into Lake Michigan on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. The U.S. Coast Guard Milwaukee confirms that operations were underway for a downed aircraft 12-15 miles off Wind Point (Racine County) in Lake Michigan.

WIND POINT, Wis. - Three people were rescued after their plane crashed into Lake Michigan on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.

The U.S. Coast Guard Milwaukee confirms that operations were underway for a downed aircraft about 12 miles off Wind Point (Racine County) in Lake Michigan.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people from the crash and brought them to the U.S. Coast Guard station on Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee.

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The three people were seen leaving the Coast Guard boat. None of them appeared to be injured.

Plane crash, 3 rescued by US Coast Guard boat

Following a plane crash into Lake Michigan, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people. They were seen leaving the Coast Guard boat in apparently good condition.

Response from the U.S. Coast Guard

What we know:

The U.S. Coast Guard says it received the initial notification via the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center at 12:45 p.m. and immediately deployed the 45-foot response boat.

The crew pulled the people out of the water, and they were taken to shore to be evaluated by medical personnel.

All three people were wearing life jackets, which likely saved their lives.

Lake Michigan plane crash, 3 rescued

A U.S. Coast Guard officials provided an update on a plane crash into Lake Michigan. Three people were rescued.

"The survivors were able to use their cell phone to text first responders in Milwaukee, who then relayed their position to responding Coast Guard units," said Chief Donald Hamilton, Officer-in-Charge of Station Milwaukee. "Thankfully the aircraft also had an Emergency Locator Transmitter to help locate the individuals, who were wearing personal flotation devices (PFD) that helped them stay afloat. They are now safely at home thanks to the collaborative effort of our crew and partnering agencies."

The aircraft sunk but is not considered to be a hazard to other ships or boats in the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it is looking into why the aircraft went into the water.

Information from the airport

What we know:

According to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, at 12:17 p.m., a Cirrus SR22 aircraft departed the airport for a flight to Michigan, but encountered a problem in flight, and ended up in Lake Michigan about 20 minutes later.

The aircraft is a small single-engine propeller plane. Three people were on board. It is not known what caused the emergency and crash into the lake.

Flight operations at the airport were not affected.