BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. — A pilot who was among four people who died after a plane crash on a Michigan island has been identified as a history teacher.
William Julian, 55, was flying the plane for Island Airways, which takes travelers between Beaver Island and Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. Julian was airlifted Saturday to a hospital by the U.S. Coast Guard but died, the Charlevoix County sheriff’s office said.
During his 16 years in the Traverse City school district, Julian was a “devoted educator to the students he served,” East Middle School principal Marshall Perkins told families.
The others who died were Mike Perdue, Kate Leese and Adam Kendall. Perdue’s 11-year-old daughter survived, and her mother has said she believes her husband protected the girl from more serious injuries by holding her tightly as the plane went down.
