Two dead in Sugar Grove plane crash

Two men were killed Saturday night when the plane they were in crashed in Sugar Grove, north of the Aurora Municipal Airport.

Kane County sheriff's officials said the plane hit the ground and then clipped the edge of a garage attached to a large, single-family home. Two adults and two children who were in the home were evacuated safely, police said.

About 7 p.m., police responded to a 911 call report of a fireball. The FAA reported the plane had left the Aurora airport and was heading toward Denver.

Authorities had determined the identity of the two victims but were withholding their names, pending notification of their families.

But they had determined the pilot was licensed to fly and that the plane had departed the Aurora airport en route to the Denver area when it went down. The plane was a twin-engine Piper Aerostar, according to Pam Sullivan, senior air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators from the agency were at the scene Saturday night.

Sullivan said there was no indication or communication from the pilot about any problems with the plane.

The crash occurred near the home at the northwest corner of Old Oaks and Route 47, in a fairly isolated, heavily wooded area.

Remnants of the plane covered a large area, and one small piece of it was sitting on top of the garage.

Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Patrick Gengler said it sustained a lot of damage.

"It's a lot of debris, a lot of small pieces. It's hard to identify," he said

The crash caused some local power outages, including Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. Authorities also shut down Route 47, north of Bliss Road, as the investigation continued.

Damage to the home was fairly limited, although it did leave a hole in part of the home, police said.