Finding cause of fatal crash will take time

Federal Aviation Administration investigators in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board Wednesday continued a probe into a fatal plane crash at Schaumburg Airport Monday.

But whether or not the 1946 Luscombe 8A piloted by William Borgstrom crashed because it stalled or other factors contributed to the accident likely won't be determined for months.

Borgstrom took off from Schaumburg around 3:30 p.m. headed for Sylvania Airport, located in southeast Wisconsin near Racine.

Witnesses said his departure appeared textbook but after the plane had climbed 100 feet or more, it slowed down. The aircraft's left wing then dipped and it spun around before toppling to a grassy area near a runway.

Although a pilot who saw the crash concluded that the airplane had stalled, federal authorities will look at Bergstrom's training, the plane's mechanics, weather and other factors in considering the cause.

Borgstrom, an engineer, was licensed as a flight instructor and commercial pilot for single-engine planes, according to FAA records.

His family owns the Wendella Sightseeing Co. boat tour company in Chicago.

Family and fellow pilots described him as an experienced aviator with an adventurous streak and good sense of humor. He had been flying out of the Schaumburg Airport for about a month.