Amazon Executive Killed in Plane Crash
An Amazon executive was killed in a small plane crash just off the shores of Lake Heron.
Tom Phillips, 52, of Kirkland, was a general manager with Amazon Web Services, according to The Seattle Times. He was flying to his home on Mackinac Island when the crash occurred.
"Tom's a family man, puts his family first, and he's very involved and committed to our community here at our school and at our parish, and he's one of the first people, if anything ever is needed they call Tom,” said friend Julie Prince.
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According to authorities, a Michigan State Police 911 dispatcher contacted Search and rescue controllers at a Coast Guard Sector in Marie, Mich., at 10:07 p.m. Saturday. A concerned family member reported Phillips and 29-year-old Joe Pann’s flight overdue and called the dispatcher.
Phillips departed St. Ignace, Mich., on Saturday in a commercial single engine plane operated by Great Lakes Air and piloted by Joe Pann, 29. The flight is less than five miles and should have taken no more than 10 minutes.
Shortly before noon Sunday, a Coast Guard aircrew involved in the search effort received a signal from a 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitter. When they investigated the transmitted signal, they found the plane wreckage about 100 yards from the shore and about three miles north of St. Ignace, Mich.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Tamlyn said fog was a likely factor in the accident.
"It looks like he tried to land at the airport on Mackinac and didn't make it," said Tamlyn.
Phillips owned a house on the bluffs of Mackinac Island that is an exclusive vacation destination where cars are banned, according to The Seattle Times.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive Monday to examine the wreckage.
