The 82-year-old man who was reported missing after taking off in his airplane, Sunday, was been found dead.

The body of Richard Martin and the wreckage of his plane was found in a wooded area about two miles north of Dowagiac.

Martin was an avid flyer who took to the skies on a regular basis on Sunday mornings.

A loved one reported him missing after he failed to return home after a couple of hours.

On Thursday, September 14th, 2023 at approximately 3:52 PM First Responders involved in the search and rescue efforts were notified of the location of airplane down in a wooded area, off of M-51 North near Elm St. First Responders were guided to the location of a downed airplane by Michigan State Police Aviation Unit. Once, on scene Officers located the downed aircraft and confirmed it was a silver Sonex Airplane with Tail Number N569SX. Officers also confirmed the pilot, Richard Martin (82 years old), was with the airplane and deceased. At this time Investigators are continuing the investigation into what caused Mr. Martin’s plane to crash.

Dowagiac Police would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance in the search and rescue efforts: Dowagiac Fire Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police, Civilian Air Patrol, Dowagiac Municipal Airport, Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and the community members across the state that assisted by air and land.

If you have any additional information that may assist this investigation please contact the Dowagiac Police Department at (269)-782-9743.