Pilot killed as plane crashes into Plainfield-area subdivision
The Will County coroner's office says it could take days - or even weeks - to identify the pilot killed when a small airplane plummeted into a subdivision Thursday morning near the border of Plainfield and Joliet, starting a nearby house on fire.
The Piper PA-30, a twin-engine aircraft, smashed into pieces and caught fire about 11:15 a.m. at the intersection of Bedford Drive and Hampton Court in the Brighton Lakes subdivision near Route 59 and Caton Farm Road in Plainfield.
The pilot, believed to be the only person aboard the plane, was pronounced dead at 2:58 p.m., the coroner's office said. Due to the extreme condition of the victim, it could take days and even weeks to positively identify the deceased.
The registered owner is Bernardo Garry Thomas of Lake Worth, Florida, according to an FAA database. It wasn't immediately known where the aircraft took off from or where it was headed. Joliet Regional Airport and Clow Airport in Bolingbrook are relatively close to the site.
Joliet Deputy Fire Chief Ray Randich said it appears the plane's fuel tank ruptured when it hit the street and sparked the fire that spread to a nearby house.
The Federal Aviation Administration “has sent a team to the crash site to determine the type of aircraft and to begin an investigation,” spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
Pat Crotty, who lives about a block from the crash site, said she was in her yard when she saw a blue and yellow plane flying low and swaying.
“It didn't look like it was functioning normally,” said Crotty, adding that she's used to seeing planes from the Joliet airport fly over the neighborhood.
But while authorities believe the plane burst into flames upon impact, Crotty said she heard what sounded like an explosion. She looked up and saw the plane in flames spiraling nose-first toward the ground.
She said the plane struck Bedford and skidded along the street before breaking into pieces. Debris from the wreckage hit the side of a house at the corner of Bedford and Hampton.
“All you could see was the fire in the street,” Crotty said. “Then, this house all of sudden started going up in flames.”
No injuries occurred on the ground, police reported.
A woman was alone inside the house when the crash happened, according to neighbors, but she escaped safely.
Meanwhile, Crotty said the plane is unrecognizable. “There's not a wing,” she said. “There's not a tail. There's nothing left.”
Crotty said she believes the pilot may have been trying to land in a nearby pond. “I think he was trying to aim for that and missed,” she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. A team arrived Thursday afternoon and will remove the plane debris to a secure location to examine what caused the accident, spokesman Terry Williams said.
Daily Herald staff writer Sara Hooker and Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.