1 Dead, 1 Injured When Small Plane Crashes In Romeoville
Updated 06/26/11 - 4:45 p.m.
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- One person was killed and another was seriously injured when a small plane they were on crashed in southwest suburban Romeoville on Sunday, taking out power lines near Lewis University Airport.
According to a representative for the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane, a Cessna 210, went down near the airport, located at 2 George J. Michas Dr. in Romeoville, at about 2:30 p.m. Two people who were on board at the time were airlifted to hospitals in the region, but one of the accident victims died, the FAA said later Sunday.
The owner of the airplane resides in Darien, Ill., FAA records say.
Witness Vince Piazza and a friend were just across the street when they saw the plane skim the trees and heard a crash, CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.
They rushed to help but saw the power line on the plane and smelled fuel. They called 9-1-1. One man inside the aircraft was unconscious.
Once rescuers arrived, they couldn't do anything until ComEd crews were able to kill power to the electrical line. Piazza and his friend Wayne Brown said it was a terrible feeling not to be able to help the badly injured men.
It was not immediately clear if the plane was taking off or landing at the time of the crash.
ComEd spokeswoman Arlana Johnson said the plane took down a set of power lines near Airport Road and Independence Boulevard in Romeoville.
About 1,000 customers were without power as a result. Repairs were made and power was restored to all customers within an hour.
