Rescue workers at the scene of a fatal plane crash with FedEx semi truck on U.S. 131 in Plainwell, MI on September 23, 2011. The pilot of the small single engine plane was killed in the crash. Photo credit: Tim Keith

Plainwell is located in Allegan County, Michigan in the southwestern part of the state about 78 1/2 miles southeast of Muskegon, about 22 miles northwest of Portage and about 13.4 miles north of Westwood.

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The accident happened at around 10 minutes to 9:00 a.m. in the morning on U.S. 131 on the approach to the runway at Plainwell Municipal Airport.

The victim was identified as William Frank Beswick, 73 years old, from Holland, MI. He and his wife had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary about a month previous.

Beswick apparently clipped the rear of a FedEx semi truck that was moving northbound on Highway 131 at the time. His plane flipped over and crashed in a field only about 40 feet from the end of the runway.

Map showing location of fatal crash between a single engine airplane and a FedEx semi truck on U.S. Highway 131 in Plainwell, MI on the approach to the the Plainwell Municipal Airport runway.

Beswick was an experienced aviator with about 50 years experience as a pilot. He was certified with a private pilot’s license with an instrument rating. It is speculated that fog may have played a role in this accident. He was flying a standard model Thorp T-18, classified as an experimental aircraft, that was certified by the FAA in 1978.

Beswick took off from Tulip City Airport in Holland, MI and his destination was the Plainwell Municipal Airport where the tragic accident happened.

Flight investigators said that conditions at the airport that morning were foggy and dangerous.

Fedex semi truck with large chunk of the rear of the trailer damaged in the collision with a small single engine airplane on U.S. 131 in Plainwell, MI. Photo credit: Tim Keith

Beswick was flying behind a friend and fellow pilot, Ken Dannenberg, 78 years old, also from Holland. Dannenberg landed first ahead of Beswick and spoke to him on the radio just before the crash. They were planning to meet for breakfast together at the Fly Inn, a restaurant at the airport in Plainwell.

It was only a 15 minute flight and both pilots had made frequent landings at the Plainwell Airport, sometimes two or three times per week. Dannenberg states that Beswick’s plane was equipped with the latest equipment and that it was well-maintained.

The FedEx semi truck driver was shaken but unhurt. A large chunk could be seen to be torn away from the rear of the trailer where the airplane’s wing struck the tractor-trailer.

At first the big rig driver did not realize what had happened. He brought the truck to a stop immediately afterwards about 1/3rd of a mile down the road.

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The driver was able to escape from the flipped 18 wheeler and was not injured.

On Wednesday morning a semi trailer truck was headed north on Interstate 275 North traveling through Wayne County, MI. The trailer was carrying several different chemicals including hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent that has a variety of uses including as an oxidizer, disinfectant, antiseptic, and as a rocket propellant. The semi truck is owned by PVS-Nolwood, a subsidiary of PVS Chemicals based in Detroit, MI.

As the chemical truck passed the area near Romulus it was hit in the back section by a car that was traveling on eastbound Interstate 94 and attempting to merge onto northbound I-275 North. The collision caused the unidentified truck driver to lose control of his rig. The trailer truck tipped over on its side in the traffic lanes of the interstate.

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The driver was able to escape from the flipped 18 wheeler and was not injured in the truck accident.

The rollover truck accident reportedly damaged some of the totes carrying the cargo of chemicals on the trailer and hydrogen peroxide began to leak out on the highway. Michigan State Police responded to the accident site and closed a section of the interstate as the potentially dangerous chemical spilled onto the roadway. According to authorities there was a possibility of a chemical reaction which could lead to an explosion. Two miles of I-275 North were closed from just south of I-94.

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About 300 gallons of hydrogen peroxide spilled out of the tank damaged in the truck accident and local firefighters and a Haz-Mat team worked together to clean up the chemical spill and keep it contained and out of local water systems. It would take several hours to clean up the spilled chemical and the interstate would remain closed for most of the day.

Investigators reconstructing the truck accident believe it was set off when the driver changing lanes clipped the semi truck. The unidentified driver of the car stopped at the accident scene and may be charged for reckless driving. The truck accident remains under investigation.

Rescue crews at the scene of the semi truck accident near Ann Arbor, MI

The woman was driving a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix when she lost control of her car and struck the semi truck. The vehicle crossed over the median, overturned and went airborne into the northbound lanes where it landed on the roof of a 1995 Chrysler Concord. The other car was driven by a 19-year-old man from Ann Arbor.

 
The 19-year-old woman was identified as Felisa Estella-Rosa Barnes from Erie, MI. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The roof of the vehicle that the Ann Arbor man was driving was crushed in the collision. The driver was trapped in his car and according to Green Oak Township police, he was freed by firefighters then was airlifted to the University of Michigan Medical Center with serious injuries.

The semi truck drivers were not injured. One of the semi truck drivers was a 50-year-old man from Spring Hill, Florida.

One of the semi tankers was carrying gasoline. There was a minor leak to the gas tanker, but it was quickly contained. The other tanker was hauling apple juice.

US-23 was closed for about 3 hours while the scene of the accident was being cleaned up and investigated by police officers. Investigators from the Michigan State Police, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and Green Oak Township were present.

Contact an Ann Arbor truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Find a Michigan truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.

Oak Park — A Clawson man who police say caused a fiery crash July 15 that destroyed a freeway bridge near Oak Park, Michigan and caused an estimated $2 million-plus in damage received a speeding ticket Wednesday that will likely result ina $200 fine and two points on his driving record.

State Police said Saied Haidarian Shahri, a 27-year-old Wayne State University graduate student, was using a newly minted driver’s license when he apparently took an Interstate 75 curve too fast in a 2004 Honda Civic and collided with a tanker carrying more than 13,000 gallons in diesel fuel and gasoline. The crash triggered an inferno that brought down the Nine Mile overpass and blocked a key commuting artery into downtown.

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A preliminary investigation found Shahri lost control of his car while heading north on I-75, crossed two lanes of traffic and struck the tanker driven by Michael St. John, 44, of Armada, said Lt. Shannon Sims of the Michigan State Police Metro North Post.

“Some people might be outraged (by this ticket), but if you take away the explosion and all the resulting damage, this is what anyone would be charged with for a similar accident involving another car: a violation of the basic speed law,” said Sims.

Shahri could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Sims noted investigators could never determine Shahri’s speed but that there is a 50 mile an hour speed limit on the curve.

The offense requires Shahri to appear at Hazel Park District Court within 14 days to plead guilty and pay a fine to be determined by the court or to enter a not guilty plea and request a hearing.

Generally, those who violate the speed law in Hazel Park are fined $110; $150 if there is property damage and $200 if there is a related injury, a court clerk said.

Shahri, St. John and the driver of a second truck escaped the blaze with minor injuries.

While the freeway reopened this week, the Michigan Department of Transportation said it could take up to four months before the Nine Mile bridge reopens, MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi said.

For more information about this story  contact mmartindale@detnews.com (734) 462-2672

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