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2 dead after plane crashes at DuPage Airport in West Chicago
By Dave Oberhelman and Katlyn Smith
A plane crash at DuPage Airport in West Chicago
left two dead Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The twin-engine aircraft crashed just after takeoff shortly before 2 p.m., airport officials said.
There were two adult men on board. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The exact cause of the crash is under investigation. According to preliminary information, the Federal Aviation Administration said a Piper PA-30 crashed after departing from the airport near the border of DuPage and Kane counties.
Airport officials are coordinating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will lead the investigation. That agency also cited preliminary information that the plane crashed during landing.
An NTSB investigator is en route to the scene and is expected to arrive Thursday morning. Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the area and examining the aircraft. The plane will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.
West Chicago Fire Department and police personnel responded immediately to the crash.
“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones
of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident,” the airport said in a statement.
About a dozen emergency vehicles were seen around the wreckage at about 3:30 p.m.
The plane was left with significant front-end damage in a snow-covered area near a runway. The full aircraft registration number, or N-number, also was not legible in photos of the heavily damaged plane.
NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.
Witnesses to the crash or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, the airport was partially open.
No additional details were immediately released.
Pilot injured as small plane crashes into Nashua condo complex
By Dean Shalhoup Union Leader Correspondent
A chaotic scene unfolded shortly after 2 p.m.
Wednesday at Nashua’s Cannongate III condo complex when a small plane clipped some trees, struck the third floor of a condo, and then crashed into the parking lot.
The pilot, whose name wasn’t released as of Wednesday evening, was helped from the wreckage by residents, Nashua Fire Chief Steve Buxton said, adding that the pilot sustained injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening. He was transported to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.
The chief said a preliminary investigation indicated that the pilot was in the process of preparing for a touch-and-go landing at the Nashua Airport, which is about a quarter mile northwest of the crash scene.
For reasons that will be part of the investigation, the plane was flying low enough to strike the trees, then damaged the roof of the condo before crash-landing just past another row of condos. Only one of the several vehicles in the parking lot was damaged.
Fire, police and ambulance crews were initially dispatched to Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St., for an “alert 4” plane crash, but the location was corrected to Cannongate within minutes.
Police roped off an area surrounding the crash site as firefighters and officers examined the wreckage and documented items that may figure into the investigation. The wreckage came to a rest on top of a mound of plowed snow on one end of the parking lot.
Among the bystanders at the scene was a young man who gave his first name as Matt, who said he thought at first that the pilot was a friend of his and that he had died in the crash.
A short time later, however, he was relieved to receive word that the information was incorrect.
Standing next to Matt was Kenneth Reth, a Nashua High School North student who lives in the Cannongate complex. “I got off the bus and the Fire Department was everywhere,” Reth said, adding that he was told about the crash by neighbors. “They said it happened about 15 minutes before I got there,” he added.
John Regan, another resident of Cannongate, said
he heard “like, the loudest noise” while relaxing on his couch.
“I thought it might be ice and snow sliding off the roof,” or someone driving “real fast” over a speed bump. But when he heard sirens and realized they were getting louder and louder, he decided to go take a look and saw groups of first responders heading up the hill.
Aircraft engine noise isn’t uncommon for residents of Cannongate and several other nearby complexes due to their proximity to the airport.
“Sometimes they come in so low,” he said, looking up at the sheared-off trees and the damaged condo roof.
Buxton said that condo was the only one that sustained enough significant damage to be uninhabitable for the time being. He said residents of the adjacent units who had been evacuated were allowed to return.
In addition to first responders, a hazardous materials team was at the scene containing fuel leaking from the plane. Red Cross staff were also present to help the displaced occupant of the condo.
Buxton said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive by Wednesday evening.
Buxton said they will take charge of the investigation.
2 people survive small plane crash near Silver Springs airport in Lyon County
by Kenzie Margiott
Two people are being taken to a Reno hospital
after surviving a small plane crash in rural Nevada Wednesday afternoon.
According to Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope, the plane went down in an area off Highway 50 near the Silver Springs airport.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a Mooney M206 crashed at about 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 17.
Deputies who responded to the scene confirmed a single engine aircraft had crashed. They located 2 occupants and 1 dog inside the aircraft. The occupants required assistance from Fire / EMS personnel to exit. Both passengers were then transported by air to a local hospital.
Authorities say the incident occurred away from
the highway, and no other injuries or damage to property were reported.
Both the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will take over the investigation.
You are urged to stay out of the area until further notice.
https://mynews4.com/news/local/multiple-agencies-respond-to-incident-near-silver-springs-airport-in-lyon-county
NTSB Final Report: Rans Employee Flying Club Rans S-6ES Coyote II
A Wind Gust Lifted The Right Wing And The Airplane Turned To The Left
Location: Williston, South Carolina Accident Number: ERA26LA022
Date & Time: October 24, 2025, 15:00 Local Registration: N43822
Aircraft: Rans Employee Flying Club Rans S-6ES Coyote II Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot was departing from a 2,395-ft-long by 50-ft-wide turf runway. The pilot reported that after the airplane lifted off the ground, a wind gust lifted the right wing and the airplane turned to the left. The airplane subsequently impacted trees off the left of the runway and came to rest suspended in the trees. The right wing and empennage sustained substantial damage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the initial climb in gusting crosswind conditions.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
48 Years ago today: On 18 December 1977 SATA flight 730, a Caravelle, crashed into the sea while on approach to Madeira's Funchal Airport, Portugal, killing 36 occupants; 21 survived the accident.
| Date: | Sunday 18 December 1977 |
| Time: | 20:14 |
| Type: | Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R |
| Owner/operator: | SA de Transport Aérien - SATA |
| Registration: | HB-ICK |
| MSN: | 200 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 21134 hours |
| Cycles: | 12767 flights |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-7 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 36 / Occupants: 57 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4 km SSE off Funchal Airport (FNC) - Portugal |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Genève-Cointrin Airport (GVA/LSGG) |
| Destination airport: | Funchal Airport (FNC/LPFU) |
| Investigating agency: | DGAC Portugal |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
SATA flight 730, a Caravelle, crashed into the sea while on approach to Madeira's Funchal Airport, Portugal, killing 36 occupants; 21 survived the accident.
Flight 730 was an international charter service from Zurich to Funchal Airport, Madeira, Portugal via Geneva, Switzerland. The Caravelle aircraft landed at Geneva at 14:30 UTC. Departure was delayed because a hydraulic pump had to be replaced. The flight deck crew consisted of two captain. A new captain was in the left-hand seat and was piloting the aircraft. The other captain (who was in the right-hand seat) performed the duties of pilot-in-command, pilot responsible for the initiation to Funchal, route check pilot and co-pilot. Initiation of the new captain was necessary because of the difficult approach and landing at Funchal. However, this initiation ought to have been made by day.
The aircraft took off at 16:26. The flight then progressed in accordance with the flight plan. At 19:38 the crew contacted Madeira control, reporting Rose Point at FL330; the aircraft was cleared to leave this flight level at 19:41. The crew then asked for descent instructions and received clearance to descend to FL50; it was requested to contact control again when this level was reached or when overflying the Porto Santo (PST) NDB. At 19:55 the crew reported being overhead the PST at FL85. The aircraft was instructed to continue its descent to FL50, then to contact Funchal approach control.
At 19:57 the crew contacted Funchal approach control, which stated that runway 06 was in service and cleared the aircraft to descend to 3500 ft, the QNH being 1014.0 mb.
After being cleared for the approach the crew descended below the 720 ft permitted during circling, even though they had lost sight of the runway. The pilots, had lost sight of the runway lights at the end of the downwind leg and at the beginning of the base leg, when the aircraft was already flying below 200 ft. The radio altimeter had probably been preset to 200 ft, but the pilots did not check its indications. The aircraft touched the sea soon after the base leg turn. The landing gear and flaps (20°) were out.
CAUSE: "The accident was caused by an involuntary ditching during the approach. The fact that the aircraft was flying below the descent plane may have been due to a lack of co-ordination between the pilots and a sensorial illusion on the part of the crew, when it was preoccupied with the search for visual runway references."
