OGLE COUNTY, Ill. (WIFR) – Danielle Green describes July as crop duster season.
Over the skies of her home in Mt. Morris, the low-flying planes twist and turn – spraying acres of fields across Ogle County.
“We’ve seen crop dusters our whole lives, and it’s an everyday thing for us,” reflected Green.
On Tuesday, Green saw another small plane flying overhead.
“I was like, ‘Oh, there’s the local guy that we know that sprays fields,’” said the Mt. Morris resident. Green recalled driving toward Dollar General off IL Rt. 64 when the crop duster began flying erratically.
“I was on the phone with my cousin, and I went, ‘I don’t think the plane’s gonna make it.’ And as soon as I said that, there was just a big flash,” said Green,
Around 9:36 a.m., the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office says a crop duster crashed near Aframe Family Greenhouse by the Ogle County Airport.
According to Sheriff Brian VanVickle, deputies arrived to the plane “fully engulfed” just off Rt. 64. The crop duster struck transmission lines (knocking seven poles over) as it descended.
“It sounded like aluminum crumpling… like a can crumpling,” stressed Green. “Just a routine, everyday thing can change that fast.”
After the fire was extinguished, authorities found the plane’s pilot (the only one on board) dead in the wreckage.
“It’s wild. Absolutely wild,” said Green hours after the deadly ordeal.
Last month, a small plane crash killed two people in Boone County. In January, a small plane made an emergency landing in rural Byron (no injuries were reported).
VanVickle notes this is the third small plane crash in his 11-year career.
“And obviously, this one was catastrophic,“ he asserted.
The Sheriff says his focus on flying is oriented toward the Chicago Rockford International Airport.
“There’s concerns there with larger commercial traffic, but at the end of the day, this happens here very infrequently.”
Several departments and agencies responded to the scene – including the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon Police, Mt. Morris Fire and Illinois State Police. VanVickle praised fellow first responders with with their work in the rural area.
“This is how we have to respond to incidents like this… Nobody has enough people to do it all themselves.”
As of Tuesday evening, power was restored to Ogle County homes. Earlier, up to 340 ComEd customers lost electricity from the incident.
Along Rt. 64, linemen worked to reconnect transmission lines and replace downed poles.
VanVickle mentioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived at the scene around 2 p.m. The FAA will investigate how flying can be made safer, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), en route to start investigating on Wednesday, will examine the crash’s cause.
“We’re just continuing to support them through the process and get them up to speed‚” VanVickle characterized of his office’s involvement.
The identity of the pilot has yet to be released as of July 22; Green believes she knew the victim.
“I know the same guy’s been doing this for years,” she explained. “This is not a guy that’s like in his first or second year.”
She maintains her heart aches from the tragedy.
“There was no surviving that. I knew it… Oh, that sucks.”
Part of NTSB’s investigation involves keeping the victim’s family informed and offering assistance in the crash’s aftermath.
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