At approximately 2:45 p.m. on December 22, 2010, a single engine Beechcraft airplane crashed into a building and several parked unoccupied vehicles prior to impacting the terrain one-half mile northwest of the Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, Illinois. Shortly after takeoff the pilot reported to air traffic control that the airplane was vibrating and losing power. The cause of this loss of power is under investigation.
Two people were aboard the aircraft, a private pilot who was seriously injured, and his passenger, a student pilot, who was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post-impact fire.
The flight was being conducted in visual meteorological conditions and the reported destination was the Schaumburg Regional Airport, after which its final destination was Jacksonville, Illinois.
Today, the family of the student pilot killed in the crash retained Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. to represent the interests of the estate with respect to the crash. Lead attorney David E. Rapoport explained today: “It is too early for us to speculate on the causes of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and we will have the benefit of their work as well as our own in time. For now our hearts and prayers are with the family, and with the pilot and his family.”
