A small, single-engine plane crashed near a row of townhomes in the northern suburbs late Wednesday night under foggy conditions, leaving the pilot killed and witnesses rushing to the scene.
The small plane crashed about 9:45 p.m. in the 800 block of Swallow Street near Milwaukee Avenue in unincorporated Deerfield, according the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. When officers arrived, they found a downed aircraft behind a row of townhomes.
Early Thursday morning, yellow caution tape was blocking off an area of the Park West subdivision, with emergency vehicles still on the scene.
According to the sheriff’s office, the aircraft struck the roof of one of the townhomes and damaged two gas meters as it went down. Officials said a small gas leak was under control, and Nicor Gas responded to the scene.
The pilot was pronounced dead on the scene, officials said. No other occupants were on the plane, and no other injuries were reported.
Lake County Sheriff Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said the structural damage did not require any residents to evacuate their homes.
“Investigators are also looking to see maybe if the pilot’s actions helped avoid a more serious crash into the homes that were occupied at the time,” Covelli added.
Officials said the pilot was trying to make his way to Palwaukee Airport at the time of the crash. NBC 5’s Lisa Chavarria reported from the scene that investigators were looking into whether foggy conditions and low visibility played a role.
Early Thursday morning, a dense fog advisory was in place for the entire Chicago area through 12 p.m.
The small aircraft struck the roof of one of the townhomes and damaged two gas meters as it went down in unincorporated Deerfield. Lisa Chavarria has more.
Witnesses and neighbors described the harrowing scene, with “lights everywhere.
“The building started shaking,” one neighbor said. “I came to the front and there were lights everywhere. And then everyone’s saying a plane crashed.”
“We saw the light sorta coming in, and then we saw it come in and go straight down,” another witness said. “We knew it was a plane crash right away. We tried to check in on the pilot, but the cockpit was destroyed.”
Photos and video from the scene show a large emergency response, with firefighters, emergency responders and firetrucks in the area through the overnight hours.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Aviation administration and other federal officials.
