Disappearance and Last Contact
The aircraft departed Baltimore, Maryland, at 1142 CDT, destined for Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Its last en route fuel stop was at Muskegon, Michigan, arriving at 2040 CDT. No flight plan was filed. The aircraft left Muskegon at approximately 2110 CDT with a full fuel load. Weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC), but the night was dark.
At about 2145 CDT, the pilot radioed that he had lost an engine cylinder and was going down. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft disappeared from radar contact while over Lake Michigan. An emergency beacon code was picked up by Muskegon Approach Control at a point approximately 55 miles northwest of Muskegon. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was heard.
Wreckage Discovery
The aircraft is assumed destroyed because a part bearing its data plate and serial number AA1-0414 was found on a remote beach of Lake Michigan south of Arcadia on July 19, 1983.
Search Efforts
The pilot is missing and presumed to be fatally injured. The Coast Guard suspended the search at 1600 CDT on July 10, 1983, pending further developments.