Plane crashes in Washington County corn field, pilot not hurt

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash of a small plane in a corn field in the Town of Barton on Tuesday morning, July 21st.

Deputies were dispatched to the scene on Country Trunk D around 8:15 a.m.  When they arrived, they found the pilot was not hurt.

The investigation determined the pilot, a 58-year-old Harvest, Alabama man with 25 years of flying experience, had taken off from EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh and was traveling to DeKalb, Illinois. He was flying a home-built, experimental aircraft -- and reached an altitude of approximately 7,500 feet.

Approximately 23 minutes into the flight, the engine suffered a mechanical failure which stalled the plane’s engine. The pilot then glided the aircraft for 15 miles attempting to reach a homemade air field in the Town of Barton which no longer exists. The pilot then landed the aircraft in a soy bean field, traveled several hundred feet and came to rest in a bordering corn field.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by the FAA Milwaukee office. At this time it is believed that the engine suffered a mechanical failure while in flight.