By Associated Press - Monday, December 31, 2018

BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. (AP) - A 72-year-old pilot has died in the crash of a small plane on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.

The Charlevoix County sheriff’s office say an explosion was heard near the island’s airport around 7:45 p.m. Sunday. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted authorities in locating the Piper twin-engine plane in a dense, wooded area.

The pilot was identified as Donald Falik of Charlotte, near Lansing. He was the only person aboard the plane.

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Beaver Island is off the northwestern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. A ferry operates between the island and Charlevoix.

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