Woman killed when plane crashes in Illinois pool is ID'd

CENTRALIA, Ill. (AP) - An aircraft passenger who died last weekend when a small plane crashed into a swimming pool in southern Illinois has been identified as a 56-year-old woman from the Peoria area.

Centralia police said Cheryl Monserat-LaGreca of Lacon, Illinois, died on impact when the 1948 Beechcraft A35 aircraft crashed Saturday less than a mile from the Centralia Municipal Airport. She was the plane's only passenger.

The plane's pilot, Peoria-area resident Glenn Rossi, was airlifted to a nearby hospital after firefighters, police and others freed him from the plane's wreckage, KTVI-TV reported.

Centralia police responded to the crash scene Saturday afternoon after receiving a call from a resident who said a small plane had crashed into their backyard swimming pool.

Marion County coroner Troy Cannon said the conversation between the first responders and Rossi suggested that the plane lost power and started to lose altitude. Neighbors said they witnessed the plane descending without engine power.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and the cause of the crash. Centralia is located about 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) east of St. Louis.