Pilot in fatal Plainfield-area plane crash identified
A Florida man has been identified as the pilot killed when a small plane plunged into a residential neighborhood near the border of Plainfield and Joliet.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board says it might take nearly a year to determine the cause of Thursday's fatal crash.
On Friday, the Will County coroner's office identified the pilot as Garry T. Bernardo, 58, of Lake Worth, Florida.
No one else was aboard the Piper PA-30, a twin-engine aircraft, which was traveling from Florida to Wisconsin when the crash occurred. No injuries were reported on the ground.
Fire from the crash sparked a blaze that did extensive damage to a nearby house.
On Friday, NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said investigators conducted an initial examination of the aircraft at the crash site, but the wreckage will be moved to a more secure location for a closer examination.
In addition, the probe will include a review of maintenance records for the plane, the pilot's records and eyewitness statements.
"We're still in the very, very early stages of this investigation," Williams said. "The entire investigation will take approximately a year."
Bernardo was listed as the registered owner of the plane, according to an FAA database.
Joliet Deputy Fire Chief Ray Randich said the house that burned is uninhabitable.
He said debris from the plane didn't hit any other homes.
"It was all in yards and things like that," Randich said. "Fortunately, nobody was hit by any of it."
A woman who saw the crash said she heard what sounded like an explosion. When she looked up and saw the plane, it was in flames spiraling nose-first toward the ground.
Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said parts of the plane were found as far as a mile away from the crash site. One of the plane's engines was found a couple blocks away.
"The fact the plane continued and then happened to land in a spot where nobody else was injured was pretty fortunate," Benton said.
• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report