By Jennifer Champagne
Managing Editor
A Canadian pilot en route to the Marquette Air Show made an emergency landing on the Seney Stretch portion of M-28 on July 31 after experiencing engine failure mid-flight.
The incident prompted a coordinated response from the Alger County Sheriff’s Department, Munising Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police and Wilderness Towing. No injuries were reported.
The pilot, identified as Trevor Rafferty of York, Ontario, was flying solo in a single-engine aerobatic aircraft when the engine began to malfunction. According to Alger County Sheriff Todd Brock, Rafferty was about 15 minutes out of Newberry when he began seeing smoke in the cockpit.
“It’s a Canadian pilot on a Canadian plane. He was flying to the Wings Over Marquette Air Show and experienced engine failure and put the plane down on M-28 just east of Star Siding Road,” Brock said. “It was unfortunate that he had engine problems, but very, very fortunate for him that he was able to land that plane safely without any catastrophic crash.”
Munising Township Fire Chief Ty Nesberg said the call came in through 911, and first responders arrived to find the plane safely stopped on the shoulder.
“We got paged over for that and … the pilot already landed,” Nesberg said. “We essentially had to escort the flatbed to Hanley [Field].”
Crews had to remove signage to get the wings over a bridge, but the aircraft was transported without issue. Wilderness Towing provided the flatbed truck used to carry the plane. Nesberg said it might have been the company’s first time transporting an aircraft.
“It was a little testy going across the closed bridge,” Nesberg said. “Had to remove a couple signs to get the wings over it. But I mean it was just a slow ride — 30 miles an hour — from out there to Hanley.”
Rafferty did not speak directly to The Beacon as unavailable for comment but gave permission for his publicist, Diana Spremo, APR, to speak on his behalf. Spremo, who also handles marketing for the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, confirmed that Rafferty was unharmed but shaken.
She noted that Rafferty is a lifelong aviator with a reputation for precision and composure.
“If there’s anything I do well, it’s fly,” she said, quoting a line he’s used often when praised for his calm and skill.
While Rafferty declined interviews, he posted publicly on social media following the incident. In a post published early Aug. 1, he wrote that he began noticing puffs of smoke from the cooling outlet, followed by smoke filling the cockpit. Believing he was roughly 10 minutes from an airport, he initially planned to assess the issue in flight. However, the engine began shaking and then failed completely.
“I took the highway option,” he wrote, adding that he managed to land safely on the centerline without damage to the aircraft. He later learned a jug had blown off the motor, locking the engine.
In subsequent posts, Rafferty thanked local responders, including the Munising Township Fire Department and the Alger County Sheriff’s Department. He shared updates about the aircraft’s condition and his search for a replacement M14P engine, noting the plane had been moved to a hangar for disassembly.
Brock said the incident demonstrated strong coordination among agencies.
“We almost always contact our fire departments. … They do scene security so we can go in and work,” he said. “It’s very standard procedure.”
Nesberg echoed the sentiment: “It was a weird situation, but we laughed about it when it was all done.”
The incident remains under review by both the FAA and Transport Canada, a standard procedure for any unscheduled landing or aircraft failure.