Pilot killed when small plane crashes into yard in Kansasville
KANSASVILLE (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration says the pilot was killed when a plane crashed into a yard along Eagle Lake in Kansasville in southeastern Wisconsin Sunday, September 9th.
FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro says the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza was flying from Chicago Executive Airport to Minoqua in north-central Wisconsin when it crashed and hit a building around noon Sunday. He says the pilot, who was the only person on board, was killed and the plane was destroyed, but no injuries on the ground were reported.
Molinaro says the cause of the crash is unknown, but the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
The pilot's name has not been released.
Witnesses report hearing the plane flying low and then a loud boom. They describe seeing the plane, cars, sheds and trees on fire.
"I was thinking 'oh my gosh, he's going to crash,' and as soon as I saw the black smoke, I screamed 'oh my God!' I yelled to my husband to call 911," Traci Aspel said.
Aspel told FOX6 News she was outside Sunday afternoon when she noticed a small plane flying overhead was in trouble.
"I knew it was going down. That's just something in your heart of hearts, in your gut, you just knew something sickening was going to happen. It was a very high pitched whining and it just nose-dived, just straight down," Aspel said.
Immediately after the plane hit the ground, people from all over the area, including Dave Felber who lives a mile-and-a-half away rushed to the scene.
"We seen a lot of black smoke, a lot of white smoke and one of the neighbors said the plane had hit the garage, and then the house caught on fire," Felber said.
Ken Filler's house was one of two houses that were damaged as a result of the crash. Filler said two of his sheds were destroyed.
"I got to figure out what I have to all do, because I have so much damage done to my house. I have so much damage done to the property," Filler said.
Many who saw the tragedy unfold Sunday afternoon say it's something they are still trying to understand.
"I just knew that somebody's family is not going to have their pilot come home today, and it's just horrific. I'm just very upset and sad for the family," Jewel Fitzgerald said.
One witness told FOX6 News he feels the pilot did everything he could to avoid injuring people on the ground.