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Friends remember victims of Oakland County plane crash

Posted at 10:16 PM, Jan 03, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-04 05:31:42-05

LYON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — As snow fell Sunday, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department returned to the scene where a plane crashed into a Lyon Township home on Saturday, killing a family of three.

“It was very, very devastating for us," said family friend Todd Hallett. "It still is.”

Husband and wife David and Michele Compo, and their 18-year-old son Dawson Compo, all of Northville, were killed. They were traveling back to Michigan from Georgia. Hallett and his wife Katie have known them for 15 years.

“I would describe David as a very detail-oriented, and a successful, passionate, charismatic person," Hallett said.

News of the crash was heartbreaking for Hallett, seeing the same plane he himself had been on.

“He loved to fly and I flew with him in his plane many times," Hallett said. "He was a great pilot.”

David was recently featured in Hour Detroit Magazine, and owned a successful home building company. Days before the crash, he finished his term as President of the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan.

"He treated each of his clients as if he was going to be living at that house as well," said Michael Stoskopf, the association's CEO. "He wanted them to be happy with the home they got."

Dawson also did some building. According to his local scout troop, the 2020 Detroit Catholic Central graduate was also an Eagle Scout, and for his project he refurbished a shelter at Maybury State Park in Northville.

“Dawson became an eagle scout, which David was very proud of," Hallett said. "And so were we.”

The family inside the home where the plane crashed was able to escape without injuries. Their neighbors started a GoFundMe for the loss of their home, which quickly surpassed the goal.

As the search for answers continues, one thing family and friends of the Compos know for certain is the lasting legacy they will leave behind.

“David was a great family man, a great businessman, and loved by many,” Hallet said.