Donald Schaller Missing Person Case

Oct 31, 2013

Jul 09, 2019

Donald

Schaller

77

49

68 inches

165 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On a summer evening, a 49-year-old man named Donald P. Schaller, prepared for a flight that would tragically be his last. It was July 3, 1998, and Don, an experienced pilot from Quincy, Illinois, was in Traverse City, Michigan, to participate in the National Cherry Festival Air Show. That evening, he took off from Cherry Capital Airport at 6:31 p.m. in a two-seat Aero L-39 Albatros jet, a military trainer aircraft built in Czechoslovakia. Accompanying him was Donovan Rodriguez, a 57-year-old flight instructor from Northwestern Michigan College, who was along for the ride to admire the scenic beauty of northern Michigan. The practice flight was intended to familiarize Schaller with the flight paths for the upcoming air show. Tragically, this day also marked Don and his wife Christine's 29th wedding anniversary. The flight plan was local, with no formal plan filed, which was not unusual for such a practice run. After takeoff, radar tracked the L-39 as it headed north over the picturesque landscape. At approximately 6:44 p.m., air traffic control contacted Schaller for a position update. He reported being 27 miles northeast of the airport and stated he would make contact again when he was within five miles of his return. This was the last radio transmission received from the aircraft. Shortly after, radar showed the jet making a turn and heading due west at a speed of 300 miles per hour. The last radar contact with the plane was at 6:47 p.m. as it approached South Fox Island, about 31.1 miles from the Traverse City VOR (a type of navigational aid). A minute and twenty seconds after the primary radar contact was lost, a fast-moving unidentified target was briefly tracked about 9 miles north of South Fox Island before it too vanished. When the L-39 failed to return as expected, concerns grew, and by approximately 9:00 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue operation. The search was extensive, covering an area of roughly 2,300 square nautical miles of Lake Michigan. The operation involved Coast Guard helicopters equipped with night vision, a Canadian C-130 cargo plane, and even the Blue Angels' support plane, "Fat Albert". Search crews scoured the waters between North Manitou and South Fox Islands and extended their efforts to include several other islands and even parts of the Upper Peninsula near Brevort Lake based on a tip, but to no avail. Despite the intensive search, no wreckage, debris, or even an oil slick was ever found. The search was officially suspended on July 9, 1998, with authorities concluding that the aircraft was likely located somewhere in the deep waters of northern Lake Michigan. The cause of the disappearance remains undetermined, with speculation ranging from a catastrophic mechanical failure, such as a bird strike disabling the single engine, to pilot disorientation. The lack of any evidence has left the families of Donald Schaller and Donovan Rodriguez with no definitive answers, and the pristine waters of Lake Michigan hold the final secrets of that fateful flight. Over the years, subsequent sonar searches have been conducted, with one in 2008 locating a promising target at a depth of over 450 feet, but it has not been definitively identified as the missing jet. The case of Donald Schaller and Donovan Rodriguez remains a somber mystery, a poignant reminder of the unforgiving nature of the Great Lakes and the enduring pain of unresolved loss.

Jul 03, 1998

Fox Islands

Michigan

Leelanau County

14463

Michigan State Police - Cadillac Post

Cadillac

Michigan

Wexford County

49601

Mike Fink

D/Sgt.

7711 U.S. 131, Michigan

2317796040

State

Law Enforcement

www.michigan.gov/msp

71-2315-98

1998-07-03

Michigan State Police - Cadillac Post

Brown

Brown

Brown

No

07/14/2026