(WWJ/AP) An Oakland County fire department lost one of their own in a single-engine plane crash in central Michigan.
Authorities identified the victim and sole occupant of the plane as Ted Gauthier, the Deputy Chief of Bloomfield Village Fire Department in Bloomfield Hills. Friends told WWJ Gauthier, 67, of Pontiac, was "a good person" and "a nice guy" with many friends and a close-knit family who loved him dearly. He previously served in West Bloomfield as Fire Marshal. He was a registered nurse and paramedic.
He also owned a hot-air balloon adventure company, Fly Balloons which he operated with his brothers; daughter, Dawn; and a small group of friends.
According to the Clare County Sheriff’s Office, Gauthier was the pilot and the only person aboard the plane when it fell from the sky in Hayes Township on Friday morning, around 9:30 a.m.
No injuries on the ground were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Ted's friend Frank wrote: "He will be missed by so many of us. My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Gauthier family. May God Bless Ted’s soul and keep him flying into eternity…"
Related
![Plane crashes into home in Lyon Township, 3 dead [PHOTO+VIDEO]](https://radioimg.audacy.com/aiu-media/GetFileAttachment-85a543ea-1549-44a8-83ad-200b39ea0d7f.jpg?crop=16:9)
