Wheaton College Student Among 4 Killed In Crystal Lake Plane Crash
Updated 11-26-11 at 5:23 p.m.
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (CBS) - All four people aboard a small plane, including a Wheaton College junior, her sister and businessman father, were killed when the aircraft crashed Saturday morning near northwest suburban Crystal Lake.
The McHenry County Sheriff's office said the plane crashed about 10:30 a.m. at U.S. Route 14 and North Ridgefield Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake. All four people onboard the plane were killed.
The bodies suffered "significant trauma," said Curt Bradshaw of the McHenry County Coroner's office.
The plane was registered to Marion Pilot's Club Inc. in Marion, Ind., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said. However, investigators are still trying to determine from where the plane departed and where it was scheduled to land.
Pastor Ryan McCarty, acting as spokesman for the family of three of the victims, identified them as Marion, Ind. businessman Ray Harris and his two daughters, 21-year-old Ramie and 20-year-old Shey. The fourth victim was a friend of one of the girls, McCarty said.
Ramie Harris was a junior at Wheaton College. Her father was flying the student back to her college from Marion, McCarty said.
Sheriff's police described the plane as a single-engine Cirrus SR20. Information from the tail number provided by the FAA indicates the four-seat plane was manufactured in 2000.
The crash happened in a largely rural area near Lord and Savior Lutheran Church.
The Crystal Lake Police Department, Crystal Lake Fire Rescue, McHenry County Sheriff's office, McHenry County Conservation Police and McHenry County Coroner's office all responded. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with help from the FAA and local authorities.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire.
