Key facts
- Name: James Robert “Jim” Hysong Jr.
- Born: May 8, 1972
- Age at disappearance: 20
- Last seen: 10:15 a.m., March 15, 1993 — taking off from Toledo Suburban Airport in Sylvania Township, Ohio
- Aircraft: A rented two-seat Piper Cherokee Arrow, tail number N15206
- Intended flight: A 55-mile trip to Jackson, Michigan, to take a test to become a flight instructor; no flight plan was filed
- Height / build: 5’10”, 140–150 lbs; brown hair, blue eyes (NamUs)
- Status: Still missing — NamUs case MP10921; the National Transportation Safety Board ruled him presumed dead, but no wreckage has ever been found
- Investigating agency: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, 740-472-1612 (per the Charley Project)
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this file described a different James Hysong — a 2003 motel disappearance we could not verify in any public record. NamUs case MP10921 belongs to James Robert Hysong Jr., the 1993 pilot described below. This file has been corrected to the verified case.
The flight that never landed
At 10:15 on a Monday morning in March 1993, twenty-year-old Jim Hysong climbed into a rented two-seat Piper Cherokee Arrow at Toledo Suburban Airport in Sylvania Township, Ohio, and took off. The tail number on the plane was N15206.
He was an accomplished pilot. He had spent a year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida — he got flying experience there, though he didn’t meet the requirements to graduate — and since January 1993 he had been flying out of Toledo Suburban. That morning he said he planned to fly fifty-five miles to Jackson, Michigan, and take a test to become a flight instructor. About twenty minutes in the air. Routine. He did not file a flight plan.
It was not routine. Federal Aviation Administration air logs show that after climbing to 4,800 feet, Hysong’s plane bypassed the airport in Jackson by several miles to the southeast — and kept going. Past Grand Rapids and Grand Haven, out over Lake Michigan. It disappeared about an hour after takeoff. An extensive search using sonar imagery found no sign of Jim Hysong and no sign of the plane.
The investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board could find no evidence of a crash and no reason for one — but ruled Hysong presumed dead anyway. The Piper Cherokee Arrow, worth $40,000, is listed on the FAA database as stolen. Not even parts of it have ever been found.
One detail has haunted the case: the FAA reported that on four occasions after the disappearance, other pilots used the tail number N15206 during radio checks or while buying fuel. Nobody ever saw a plane carrying that number. The sightings were never confirmed and never led anywhere. The plane’s owner filed an insurance claim and was paid.
Two theories have barely moved in thirty-three years. Many investigators believe Hysong crashed — accidentally or intentionally — into Lake Michigan, where the plane sank without a trace. A private investigator hired by his parents theorizes he stole the plane to sell it on the black market, got mixed up with the wrong people, and met with foul play.
Hysong lived in Sylvania Township when he disappeared. His parents later moved to Florida but never stopped searching. Law enforcement still lists the case as open. It remains unsolved.
Theories: what might have happened
A crash into Lake Michigan. Supports it: the last radar trail leads over the lake; the plane vanished about an hour after takeoff; a ditching in cold, deep water could swallow an aircraft without surface debris. This is the theory many investigators favor. Unresolved: the NTSB found no evidence of a crash, and sonar searches found nothing.
Intentional disappearance — the stolen-plane theory. Supports it: Hysong never filed a flight plan; he bypassed his stated destination; the tail number was reportedly used by other pilots on four later occasions; and the parents’ private investigator believes he stole the plane to sell on the black market and came to harm. Unresolved: the tail-number uses were never visually confirmed; there is no evidence of any sale; and Hysong had openly told people he was flying to Jackson for his instructor’s test.
What the record does not support: any confirmed sighting of Hysong or N15206 after March 15, 1993.
Have information?
Contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 740-472-1612, or view the official listing at NamUs (case MP10921). In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- May 8, 1972 — James Robert Hysong Jr. is born.
- Early 1990s — Attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, for a year; gains flying experience but does not graduate.
- January 1993 — Begins flying out of Toledo Suburban Airport in Sylvania Township, Ohio.
- March 15, 1993, 10:15 a.m. — Takes off in a rented Piper Cherokee Arrow (N15206), bound for a flight-instructor test in Jackson, Michigan. No flight plan is filed.
- March 15, 1993, ~11:15 a.m. — The plane vanishes over Lake Michigan, about an hour after takeoff.
- 1993 — An extensive sonar search finds no trace. The NTSB rules him presumed dead.
- Post-1993 — Four unconfirmed uses of the tail number N15206 are logged; the plane’s owner files an insurance claim and is paid; the aircraft is listed as stolen on the FAA database.
- March 2023 — The 30th anniversary of the disappearance.
- Today — Still missing; NamUs MP10921; investigation remains open.
FAQ
Is James Hysong still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, James Robert Hysong Jr. has been missing for more than 33 years. He remains listed in NamUs (case MP10921), and the investigation remains open.
Was the plane ever found?
No. No wreckage, debris, or parts of the Piper Cherokee Arrow (N15206) have ever been recovered. The aircraft is listed on the FAA database as stolen.
Is James Hysong presumed dead?
The NTSB ruled him presumed dead after its investigation — but that is an administrative finding, not a recovered body. No trace of him has ever been found.
How old would James Hysong be today?
He was born May 8, 1972 — he would be 54 in 2026.
Was a suspect ever named?
No. There is no suspect. A private investigator hired by his parents theorizes he stole the plane to sell it on the black market and met with foul play — but that is a theory, not a finding, and no one has been charged with anything.
How can I help?
Share this case file — long-cold cases depend on visibility. Contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 740-472-1612 or view the official listing at NamUs (case MP10921).
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: NamUs, case MP10921 — James Hysong (https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP10921); Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, 740-472-1612 (per the Charley Project); National Transportation Safety Board finding and FAA air logs (via the Charley Project).
- Reference: The Charley Project — “James Robert Hysong Jr.” (retrieved Oct 2026); Crime Solvers Central — “James Hysong Missing Person Case”; Uncovered — “Missing: James Hysong | Sylvania Township, OH”.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.