Hinsdale man one of two killed in Wisconsin plane crash

Pierce McCabe, 68, of Hinsdale, and Kevin McCabe, 26, of La Grange, were identified as the two people killed when a plane that took off from Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove crashed in northern Wisconsin, the Vilas County, Wisconsin. sheriff's department said Saturday.

The men were flying a rented twin-engine plane that left the airport just after 6 p.m. Thursday, headed for Lakeland/Lee Field Airport in Arbor Vitae, Wis.

The wreckage was discovered late Friday morning.

No additional information about the men was available from Vilas County officials Saturday.

The website of the Illinois Aviation Academy, a flight school based in West Chicago, reported that Kevin McCabe was one of the academy's instructors, and that the other victim was a relative of his.

"Kevin McCabe will be remembered as a cheerful spirit and colleague that will be greatly missed by all of us that were blessed to have known him," the IAA's statement read.

No one was available at the academy to offer further comment Saturday.

The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Agency and Vilas County authorities.

The plane was expected at Lakeland at 8:18 p.m. Thursday. The FAA alerted the Vilas County sheriff's department at 8:30 p.m. that the plane was overdue.

Numerous search teams checked the surrounding area for the plane Thursday night into Friday morning. A search aircraft operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources discovered the downed plane in the Trout River, about five miles north of the Lakeland Airport, on Friday morning. Vilas County authorities said.