Authorities said that a small business plane (Beechcraft 200 King Air – Reg N220KW) crashed on Friday night in Elk Grove Village’s Busse Woods. According to a statement the Chicago Fire Department shared on social media, the accident happened roughly 3 mileswest of O’Hare International Airport. Prior to crashing, the pilot relayed an emergency call to the ATC that his plane ran out of fuel. A detailed investigation shall be undertaken to ascertain the cause of the fuel starvation that led to the crash.
The only person in the aircraft during the flight was the pilot. Carl Vogel, the communications manager for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, reported that the man was able to leave the site and receive treatment for “injuries that are not life threatening” at a hospital close by.
Vogel wrote in an email on Saturday that efforts are being made to remove the jet from the woods by the Forest Preserves Department of Resource Management and O’Hare Towing Service. Trails close to the extraction site have been closed, and local authorities plan to finish the extraction process by Sunday.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered just minor injuries in the plane’s crash on Friday, Sept. 8. (HANDOUT from the Cook County Forest Preserves) and the cockpit area remained intact after impact as seen in snapshots/videos posted on J&T Scanner Twitter Account.
“Every recovery is difficult, but we’re working on it,” an O’Hare Towing Service representative said on Saturday. He added that he anticipates the removal to take about six hours.
The craft is being moved out of the forest a short distance and onto a road where it will be taken to a nearby storage facility for additional inspection, according to Vogel.
The twin-engine Beechcraft BE20 aircraft that crashed was, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, at around 7:15 p.m.
According to a statement from the Police Department, personnel from the Cook County Forest Preserve assisted Elk Grove Village police and fire in responding to the collision.
The situation is being watched by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Source – Khaleejaviation.com