Posts Tagged Wheeling plane crash

Fatal plane crash in Wheeling – update

Dec 21

Posted by bgshap in plane crash | Comments off

A report has been issued about the December 22, 2010 plane crash in Wheeling. The Daily Herald reports that:

A single-engine plane that crashed in a Wheeling parking lot last winter, killing a passenger and seriously injuring its pilot, had several mechanical issues in the months leading up to the fatal accident, according to a new report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The 1978 Beech C24R plane lost power Dec. 22, 2010, shortly after takeoff from Chicago Executive Airport and crashed in the parking lot of the Acco building near Wolf and Hintz roads.

The report does not blame the mechanical problems for the crash, nor does it issue any definitive findings about the cause. The NTSB is expected to release a report by June further detailing investigators’ conclusions.

The report states Cole initially was unable to get the engine started before takeoff that afternoon. Even after it was started with the help of a mechanic, a witness told NTSB investigators the engine did not sound right and that he heard what sounded like “burbles.”

The complete article can be found HERE which contains a significant amount of information gathered in the fact finding segment of the investigation.

Chicagoareafire.com had other postings HERE and HERE.

Tags: Beechcraft plane crash, Chicago Executive Airport plane crash, FAA report on fatal plane crash, fatal plane crash, Palwaukee Airport plane crash, Wheeling plane crash

Fatal plane crash in Wheeling – update

Jan 6

Posted by bgshap in Fire Service News, plane crash | Comments off

The Daily Herald has an article updating information about the injured pilot from the crash on December 22 as well as statements from witnesses. Previous posts about the crash are HERE and HERE.

Below are excerpts from the Daily Herald article. The complete article can be read HERE.

Pilot in Wheeling plane crash remains critical after surgery

Todd Cole, 36, of Jacksonville, Ill., underwent surgery Monday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood to repair broken ankles and transplant skin grafts to his face and hands after suffering burns to 30 percent of his body …

“Apparently he was on fire in the cockpit, but was able to get out,” …

Instantly killed in the crash was Cole’s passenger, 18-year-old Benjamin VanHyning of Jacksonville. VanHyning, an employee at Jacksonville Municipal Airport, had volunteered to keep Cole company on the flight …

Though the investigation continues, the NTSB this week released a preliminary report on the crash.

The report states Cole contacted air traffic control shortly after his 2:45 p.m. takeoff saying he needed to return to Chicago Executive Airport because the single-engine Beechcraft Sierra was vibrating and losing power.

“Witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to be having difficulty gaining altitude after takeoff,” the report reads. “They stated that the airplane leveled off at an altitude of 50 to 100 feet above the runway. The airplane remained at that altitude until it entered a left descending turn prior to impact. The witnesses reported they heard the engine running and that it was normal.”

(the plane’s owner) … said he’d learned from the plane’s previous owner that its engine was defective and in need of a major overhaul. This overhaul took place at a repair shop in Michigan before being returned to Wheeling and reinstalled, according to the statement.

Tags: Beechcraft plane crash, Chicago Executive Airport plane crash, Daily Herald, Palwaukee Airport plane crash, plane crash, Wheeling plane crash

Fatal plane crash in Wheeling – update

Dec 24

Posted by bgshap in Fire Service News | Comments off

The Daily Herald published an article today with information about the engine of the ill-fated aircraft that crashed this week after taking off from the Chicago Executive Airport (formerly Palwaukee Airport) in Wheeling, IL including the following excerpts.

The owner of the plane that crashed Wednesday afternoon in Wheeling said in a statement Thursday the plane’s engine had gotten a major overhaul over the past few months, but he understood it was ready to fly.

The engine was sent to a repair shop in Michigan and returned to Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling where it was reinstalled.

To read the complete article, visit the Daily Herald HERE.

See our previous post with images HERE.

Tags: Beechcraft plane crash, Chicago Executive Airport plane crash, fatal plane crash, Palwaukee Airport plane crash, Wheeling plane crash

Fatal plane crash in Wheeling

Dec 22

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News | 3 Comments

updated 12AM below

Shortly before 3PM this afternoon, a plane that had just taken off from the Chicago Executive Airport (Palwaukee) reported engine problems and initiated a turn which would allow them to return to the airport. The plane lost altitude and clipped a building at 760 S. Wolf Road before crashing into the rear parking lot and hitting two cars. There were two souls on-board the plane. One of the occupants died in the crash and the other, who survived, was found on the ground roughly 30 feet from the plane by the first arriving emergency personnel. He was apparently suffering from burns and multiple fractures. The survivor was packaged quickly and transferred to a Flight-For-Life medical transport helicopter and flown to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. A comprehensive article about the incident can be found HERE. Both the Wheeling Fire Department and Prospect Heights Fire Department provide protection for the airport and as such the two departments are jointly dispatched to airport related incidents. Wheeling Engine 23 was the first fire suppression unit on the scene. Firefighters used hand lines off Engine 23 plus foam from Prospect Heights Crash Truck 39.

Larry Shapiro was at the scene and has a gallery with 100 images HERE.