One person has died after a small-engine plane crashed in a tree line near Virden on Saturday morning.
The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office told Springfield media outlets on Saturday that there was only one person in the plane when it crashed around 9 a.m. Saturday in a field near North Hendritta Street and West Dean Street, about 1/8 mile south of Virden. Multiple eye witnesses are said to have called 9-1-1 noting the plane was in distress before it crashed. The plane turned from the north and was started to proceed back south before it went down, according to Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl speaking to the media.
The State Journal Register reports that the crash occurred shortly after the plane took off from Litchfield Municipal Airport at 8:39AM Saturday. According to a report from the Aviation Safety Network’s website, the model of the plane was a Van’s RV-14A, a two-seat single-engine aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration was on site Saturday. Officials from the National Transportation and Safety Board arrived Sunday and began a joint investigation with the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office.
This is the third fatal plane crash in the county over the last three years.
The deceased pilot’s identity has not been released as of press time by the Macoupin County Coroner’s Office.